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W EAST AFRICA 



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A WHITE KING 
IN EAST AFRICA 




JOHN BOYES 



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A WHITE KING 

IN EAST AFRICA 



THE REMARKABLE ADVENTURES OF JOHN BO YES, 
TRADER AND SOLDIER OF FORTUNE,' WHO 
BECAME KING OF THE SAVAGE WA-KIKUYU 



WRITTEN BY HIMSELF 



EDITED BY 

C. W. L. BULPETT 



WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS AND A MAP 



NEW YORK 

McBRIDE, NAST & COMPANY 

1912 



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{All rights reserved,) 



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TO 

WILLIAM NORTHROP McMILLAN 

IN MEMORY OF MANY 
TRAMPS TOGETHER 



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EDITOR'S PREFACE 

THE following pages describe a life of 
adventure in the more remote parts of 
Africa— adventures such as the explorer 
and sportsmen do not generally encounter. The 
man to whom the episodes narrated in this book 
refer h^s been personally known to me for ten 
years. We have hunted big game and explored 
together many a time in the African jungle ; 
and as it is principally at my instigation that 
he has put the following account of his experi- 
ences into writing, I think it is due to him and 
to the public that I should make known my 
responsibility in the matter. 

It seemed to me that the adventures John 
Boyes underwent were something quite out of 
the common ; in these matter-of-fact days they 
may be said to be almost unique. In the days 

vii 



viii JOHN BOYES 

of exploration and discovery, when Captain Cook 
and such heroes lived and thrived, they were 
perhaps comtnon enough; but every year the 
opportunities of such adventure get more and 
more remote, and as the uttermost parts, of the 
earth are brought under the influence of civiliza- 
tion will become ever more impossible. For 
this reason alone a story such as told here seems 
to be worth recording. 

There is no attempt at literary style. The 
man tells his tale in a simple, matter-of-fact way, 
and, as his Editor, I have thought it better from 
every point of view to leave his words as he 
has written them. 

The reader will judge for himself as to the 
interest of the adventures here related, but I 
think any one will admit that no ordinary force 
of character was necessary to carry them through 
to a successful issue. The whole life of the 
author during the time he was a wanderer in 
the Kikuyu country, and later while he was 
practically supreme ruler of the tribe—a tribe 
numbering half a million of people— was one of 
imminent daily risk. 



EDITOR'S PREFACE ix 

Each hour he went about with his life in his 
hands, and if he came out scatheless from the 
mel^e, he has only to thank his courage, nerve, 
and 'resource. AH these qualities he obviously 
possessed in a high degree. 

He appears to have been harshly treated by 
the British East Africa authorities. Doubtless 
much that he did was grossly misrepresented to 
them by more or less interested parties. He 
certainly did yeoman's service to the colony in 
its early days by opening up an unknown and 
hostile country which lay right on the border- 
land of the Uganda Railway, at that time in 
course of construction. His energetic action 
enabled the coolies on the line to work safe 
from many hostile attacks. He supplied them 
with the food without which they would have 
starved— all for a very small reward, and at 
great personal risk to himself. But the love 
of adventure was in him, and such people do 
not work for profit alone. The life itself brings 
its own reward. 

An impartial observer will perhaps be able 
to understand the point of view of the British 



X JOHN BOYES 

Administration, and will appreciate their diffi- 
culty, indeed their ability, to allow an 
independent white power to rule beside their 
own ; but the public will judge for themselves 
whether they set about to do what they did with 
regard to John Boyes in the most tactful way, 
or whether they treated a brave fellow-country- 
man in the manner he deserved. 

C. W. L. B. 

August, 191 1. 



Chap: 



CONTENTS 



I 



HAPTER I . . . . . . . .1 

Early youth — I run away to sea on a fishing-boat — Hard- 
ships of the life — Take service on a tugboat — Life on 

board a tramp — First view of tropical African coast — A 

collision at sea — Land at Durban, 1895 

Chapter II . . . . . . .17 

4 I work my way up-country to Matabeleland — Employed 

^ as fireman on engine — Reach Johannesburg — Trek the 

rest of the way to Bulawayo on foot — Take service in the 
Matabeleland Mounted Police — Join the Africander Corps 
JL engaged in putting down the rebellion — Go into trade 

.11 in Bulawayo — Return to the coast — I take to the stage 

W — Work my way on an Arab dhow to Mombasa, February, 

m 1898 — Cool official reception 

Chapter III . . . . . . .38 

1898 — Determine to organize a transport caravan on the 
Uganda Railway route, to carry provisions for the coolies 
working on the railway — Man-eating lions at railway con- 
struction camps — Reach the borderland of the Masai and 
Kikuyu tribes — Desertion of my men — Return to Railhead 
— Start out again with convoys for Uganda — Loss of my 
transport animals — Decide to enter the Kikuyu country. 

Chapter IV . . . . . . .76 

Government official tries to prevent me going into the 
Kikuyu country — Give the official the slip — My first 
acquaintance with the Kikuyu — Meet Karuri, the Kikuyu 
chief — Hospitable reception — Kikuyu village attacked 
because of my presence in it — I help to beat off the attack 
— Successful trading — Build a house in the Kikuyu village 




xii JOHN BOYES 

PAGE 

— Native theory as to the origin of the Kikuyu race— I 
help defend my Kikuyu friends from hostile raids, and 
beat off the enemy — Benefit of my conciliatory counsels 
— Pigasangi and blood-brotherhood 

Chapter V ....... ioi 

Am established in the country — Native festivities and 
dances — Troubadours — Musical quickness of the natives 
— Dearth of musical instruments —My attempts at military 
organization — Hostile rumours — Preparations for resisting 
attack — Great battle and defeat of the attacking tribes — 
Victory due to skilful tactics of my Kikuyu force — Succeed 
in taking a large convoy of provisions into the starving 
Government stations — White men attacked and killed — 
Am supreme in the tribe — Native poisons — Although I am 
supplying the Government stations with food, I get no 
recognition at the hands of the officials 

Chapter VI . . . . . . .124 

Determine to extend my operations into more remote 
districts of the Kikuyu country — New friends — Native 
taste for tea — Plague of ants — Curious superstition with 
regard to milking cows — The Kalyera reject my friendly 
overtures — Trouble at headquarters — Tragic interview 
with a recalcitrant chief — Gain further prestige thereby 
— Further plans — Take my Kikuyu followers down to 
Mombasa — Their impressions in contact with civilization 

Chapter VII . . . . . . .149 

Back again in the Kikuyu country — Kalyera raid — Effect 
of a mule on the native nerve — Does it eat men ? — Prepare 
for a new expedition — Dress my men in khaki and march 
under the Union Jack — A hostile medicine man — Around 
Mount Kenia — Native drinks — Treacherous native attack 
on my camp — Lucky capture of the hostile chief saves 
the camp — Pursuit after stolen cattle — Another attack on 
my camp — Change of attitude of natives on account of 
rain — Peace again — Bury my ivory — The forest slopes of 
Mount Kenia — Wagombi's — A powerful chief — Precau- 
tions — Establish myself and erect a fort 

Chapter VIII . . . . . . .189 

The Wanderobo — Visit from the Wanderobo chief — 
Native bartering — A grand meeting of surrounding tribes 
for blood-brotherhood under my auspices — Dancing frenzy 



♦ 



» 



CONTENTS xiii 

PAG» 

— Native ideas of a future life — Again trek for the un- 
known — Attacked by natives — Chief's admonition — Decide 
to visit the Wanderobo chief Olomondo — Wanderobo 
gluttony — The honey bird — Wanderobo methods of hunt- 
ing — Massacre of a Goanese safari — My narrow escape — 
General uprising of hostile tribes — Rise of the Chinga 
tribes against me — My precarious position — Successful 
sally and total defeat of the enemy — My blood-brother, 
the Kikuyu chieftain, comes to my aid with thousands 
of armed men — Total extinction of the Chinga people 

Chapter IX ....... 233 

My control over the whole country now complete — Get 
back with my ivory to Karuri's — Recover all the property 
of the murdered Goanese — My position recognized by 
all the chiefs — Violent death of my enemy, the Rain- 
maker — Peaceful rule — Try to improve the agriculture 
of the country — Imitators of my schemes cause trouble 
in the country — Troubles of a ruler — Outbreak of small- 
pox — Famine — My attempts at alleviating the distress 
misunderstood — Daily routine in a native village — " Sin 
vomiting " — Native customs — Native hospitality among 
themselves — Adventures with Hons 

Chapter X ...... . 279 

Government send an expedition into my country to take 
over the administration — Go with my followers to 
meet the Government officials — Am asked to disarm my 
followers by the Government officials, who are in a 
state of panic— Consent to this to allay their fears, and am 
then put under arrest — Am charged with "dacoity" — 
Am sent down to Mombasa to be tried, and placed in 
the gaol — Am released on bail — Tried and acquitted — I 
am appointed intelligence officer and guide to a Govern- 
ment expedition into the Kalyera country 

Chapter XI . . . . . . .295 

Origin of the Kikuyu — The family — Circumcision — Mar- 
riage — Land tenure — Missionaries 

Index . . . . . . . .317 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

JOHN BOYES ..... Frontispiece 

FACING PAGE 

MASAI WARRIORS FROM NAIVASHA ... 48 

AN ANT-HILL . . . . . • 5^ 

KIKUYU WARRIOR . . . . . 80 

WA-KIKUYU MAIDENS . . . . . 82 ' 

THE RIVER MORANDAT . . . . 100 

A GROUP OF MASAI WARRIORS . . . .112 

A GROUP OF WA-KIKUYU PORTERS AND THE AUTHOR I92 

A DEAD RHINO ..... 208 

WA-KIKUYU WOMEN POUNDING SUGAR-CANE FOR MAKING 

NATIVE DRINK ..... 240 

RIVER SCENERY ...... 264 

WAKAMBA WOMEN ..... 3OO 

MAP OF THE WA-KIKUYU LAND .... 314 



JOHN BOYES, KING OF 
THE WA-KIKUYU 



CHAPTER I 

Early youth — I run away to sea on a fishing-boat — Hard- 
ships of the life — Take service on a tugboat — Life on board 
a tramp — First view of tropical African coast — A collision 
at sea — Land at Durban, 1895 

THIS book is simply an attempt to set 
down, in a plain and straightforward 
manner, some account of the various 
experiences and adventures of the author during 
a period of some fifteen years spent in hunting, 
trading, and exploring, principally on the eastern 
side of the African continent. The title has been 
suggested by some episodes in the narrative, the 
main facts of which are within the recollection 
of many of the white men now in British East 
Africa. These episodes caused somewhat of a 
stir at the time, and the author had to stand his 
trial before the local courts on a capital charge 
as a direct consequence of the facts here 
narrated . 



cx 



2 JOHN BOYES 

I was born at Hull, in the East Riding of 
Yorkshire, on 1 1 May, 1874, so that at the time 
of writing this book I am still a comparatively 
young man. I lived there with my parents until 
I was six years of age, when I was sent to 
Germany to be educated at the little town of 
Engelfingen, where my parents had some 
relatives living, and it was here that I received 
all the schooling I have ever had. This early 
education has left its mark on me, and even 
at the present day I sometimes find it diffi- 
cult to express myself correctly in English— a 
fact, I hope, an indulgent public will take into 
consideration . 

At the age of thirteen my schooling in 
Germany ended, and I returned home to my 
parents, who wished me to continue my school- 
days in Hull, as I had received no English 
education whatever ; but I strongly objected to 
going to school again, and, evading their efforts 
to control me, spent most of my time about the 
docks, watching the vessels in and out. 

By this time my mind was bent on a sea- 
faring life, and I lost no opportunity of scraping 
acquaintance with sailors from the different ships, 
whose tales of the various countries they had 
visited and the strange sights they had seen fired 
my imagination and made me more determined 
than ever to follow the sea. 

I practically lived on the docks, and one of 



\\ 



J I 



i 



EARLY YOUTH 3 

my greatest delights was to pilot a boat round 
them, or to get some of my many friends among 
the sailors to allow me to help with odd jobs 
about a vessel, such as cleaning up the decks or 
polishing the brasswork ; and I was fully deter- 
mined to get away to sea at the first opportunity. 
My keenest desire, at this time, was to enter 
the Navy, but my parents would not hear of my 
going to sea, and without their consent I could 
not be accepted, so that idea had to be aban- 
doned. I was determined to be a sailor, however, 
and kept my eyes open for a chance of getting 
away on one of the fishing -vessels sailing out of 
Hull, among which were still many of the old 
sailing -boats, which have now been almost 
entirely displaced by the steam -trawlers. When 
I had been at home about six months the longed- 
for chance came. I got to know that one of 
the trawlers was to sail at a very early hour one 
morning, so, stealing out of the house before 
any of the other members of the family were 
about, I made my way down to the docks. This 
being before the days of the large tonnage steam - 
trawlers, the vessels carried only about five 
hands, and finding that the boat on which I 
had set my mind was in need of a cook and 
cabin-boy, I offered my services, and was duly 
signed on. My knowledge of the work was nil, 
but, to my surprise and delight, the captain asked 
no awkward questions, and I found myself 




4 JOHN BOYES 

enrolled as a member of the crew of my first 
ship, which was bound for the North Sea fishing- 
grounds, and was expected to be away for about 
three months. 

I was very seasick on this first voyage— the 
only time in my life that I have ever suffered 
from that complaint— and the life proved less 
attractive than I had expected. In those days 
the lads on the fishing -boats were very badly 
treated, and though I had not so much to com- 
plain of in this respect, I found it a very trying 
life at the best. The work itself was very hard, 
aaid I was liable to be called up at any hour 
of the day or night to prepare hot coffee or do 
anything that any member of the crew wanted 
me to do. 

It was on this voyage that I had a very narrow 
.escape of being drowned in a gale which we 
encountered. We had taken in the second reef 
of the mainsail, which hung over like a huge 
hammock, and I was ordered aloft to perform 
the operation known as reefing the lacing. As 
I was crawling along the sail a heavy sea struck 
the ship, carrying the boom over to the weather 
side, which caused the sail to flap over and pitch 
me head first into the sea. Fortunately for me, 
the ^accident was witnessed by the crew, one of 
whom seized a boathook, and, as I came within 
reach, managed to catch me by the belt, and 
so succeeded in hauling me on board again. 



LIFE AT SEA 5 

feeling very miserable and, of course, drenched 
to the skin, but otherwise none the worse for 
my adventure. 

With this exception, there was little out of 
the ordinary in my life on the trawler, unless 
I mention an experience I had when we were 
lying off the then British island of Heligoland. 

It was the custom for the captains of the 
various boats to go ashore all together, in one 
boat, on Sundays, and the crew also often took 
advantage of the opportunity of a run ashore. 
One Sunday they had all gone ashore, leaving 
me in sole charge of the ship, my principal duties 
being to prepare the dinner and stoke the boiler 
of the donkey-engine so as to keep steam up 
ready for hauling up the anchor at a moment's 
notice. Soon after they had gone some lads 
came off in a shore -boat, and as I could speak 
German we were soon on the best of terms, and 
of course I had to give them biscuits and show 
them round the ship. So engrossed was I with 
my new-found friends that I forgot all about 
the boiler, until I noticed a strong smell of 
burning. We all raced to the engine-room, to 
find that the boiler was red hot and had set 
fire to the woodwork round it. Not knowing 
what else to do, we chopped away the wood- 
work and threw it overboard, and so prevented 
the fire spreading. Scenting trouble ahead, my 
friends took to their boat and cleared out, while 



6 JOHN BOYES 

I decided that it would be wise to disappear for 
a time also, and so hid myself in a part of 
the ship where I thought I was least likely to 
be found. The captain made a big fuss when 
he discovered the damage, and I heard him 
calling loudly for me, but I thought it would 
be wise to remain out of sight until he had 
had time to cool down ; so I stayed where I 
was, turning up again next morning. He did 
not say much when I appeared, probably because 
he thought awkward questions might be asked 
if any bother was made as to why a youngster 
like myself had been left in sole charge of the 
vessel . 

I returned to Hull after six months with the 
fishing fleet, fairly sick of life on a trawler, and 
with my mind made up to try for something 
better in the seafaring line. 

My great idea was to get abroad and see 
something of the world, and I should, so I 
thought, stand a better chance of doing this if 
I went to Liverpool and tried to get a ship there. 
Having no money— my entire worldly possessions 
consisted, at this time, of a few spare clothes— 
I set out to walk the whole distance from Hull. 

For a lad of fifteen this was no light under- 
taking, but, as in other instances in my career, 
the very difficulties only seemed to make the 
idea more attractive ; so I started boldly off. 
Having no very clear idea of the route to be 



LIVERPOOL 7 

followed, I made for York, and then continued 
my journey by way of Leeds and Manchester. 
I had no money, so, to procure the little food 
I could allow myself, I pawned my spare clothes 
at different places on my way, and helped out 
my scanty meals with an occasional raw turnip 
or carrot ; and though I had to go on rather 
short commons towards the end of my journey, 
I managed to get through without being reduced 
to begging. Of course I had nothing to spare 
for lodgings, and used to sleep out during the 
day, continuing my journey at night, and as it 
was early in the year— about the beginning of 
May — I found the cold at times bitter, but this 
was my greatest hardship. 

After a rather weary journey I eventually 
arrived in Liverpool, very footsore but in good 
spirits, and finding a lodging-house in the sea- 
men's quarter of the town, kept by an old sailor 
who was willing to take me in on trust until 
I got a ship, I took up my quarters there, 
agreeing to repay him as soon as I got a berth. 

I still had a strong inclination for the Navy, 
so I applied at the recruiting office, but, as I 
could not show my parents' consent, they re- 
fused to accept me, and I had to look elsewhere. 
At last I got a berth on a tugboat, called the 
Knight of St. John, which was going out to 
Rotterdam to tow a barque, the Newman Hall, 
into Liverpool. 



8 JOHN BOYES 

While at Rotterdam I managed to get into 
another scrape, but, fortunately, it was not a 
very serious one, though I suffered some discom- 
fort. It was known on board that I could speak 
German well, so I was sent ashore to buy cigars 
and tobacco for the officers and crew. I must 
have been longer away than they expected, as 
when I got back to the quay the boat was gone. 
Having no money left, I was in a fix for a 
night's lodging, until I noticed a small wooden 
hut on the beach, apparently unoccupied, so, 
taking shelter in this, I made myself as comfort- 
able as possible and went to sleep. On waking 
the next morning I was astonished to find the 
shanty surrounded by water. It turned out to 
be a hut built for the use of bathers, and at 
high tide was always surrounded by the sea ; 
coiasequently I had to stay where I was and 
wait more or less patiently until the tide went 
down far enough to enable me to wade ashore. 
While I was wondering what to do next I saw 
the tug coming along close inshore, and shout- 
ing until I attracted attention, I was soon aboard 
again . 

Having got our tow-line aboard the barque, 
we started on our return journey to Liverpool, 
but had scarcely got clear of land before it com- 
menced to blow heavily, and the sea became so 
rough that we had to part company with the 
barque, which, fortunately, drifted back to 



i 



IN HOSPITAL AT LAGUNA 9 

Rotterdam, while we found ourselves with only 
sufficient coal to take us into Dover. 

I did not stop long with the tug, as I came 
to the conclusion that there was little chance of 
getting on in my profession if I was content to 
simply knock about from ship to ship. If I was 
ever to get an officer's certificate, I must start 
by getting a berth as A.B. (able seaman), in 
an ocean-going ship, so that I could put in the 
four years' regular sea service which I should 
have to show before going up for my certificate, 
of which at least twelve months had to be on a 
sailing ship trading to foreign ports. I therefore 
looked out for a suitable berth, and at last 
shipped on a barque, the Lake Simcoe, trading 
to South America. 

I had, as usual, my share of incident during 
the voyage. 

Whilst trading in Brazil, we made a trip up 
the River Amazon, during which I got a touch 
of yellow fever, and on arriving at Lagufia, where 
we had to take some logwood on board, I was 
put ashore to go into hospital. I do not know 
what alterations have been made since I was 
there, but at that time the hospital was a gloomy 
enough building, with heavily barred slits in the 
wall for windows, and used indifferently as hos- 
pital, lunatic asylum, and gaol, while the strong 
resemblance to a prison was heightened by the 
fact that the place was always guarded by a 
detachment of soldiers. 



10 JOHN BOYES 

The hospital arrangements were disgusting and 
reckless, no regard being paid either to sanita- 
tion or the prevention of infection. All manner 
of diseases were mixed indiscriminately in the 
same ward, while the duties of orderlies and 
attendants on the patients were undertaken by 
some of the more harmless among the lunacy 
cases ! 

One gruesome discovery which I made soon 
after my entry was that the establishment pos- 
sessed only one coffin, which had to do duty for 
each fatal case in turn, being made with a sliding 
bottom, which reduced the work of lowering the 
corpse into the grave to a minimum. When a 
case ended fatally, the corpse was placed in this 
coffin — which was always kept in the ward— and 
taken out for burial, the coffin being afterwards 
returned to its place in the hospital, in full view 
of the other patients ! As there were gene- 
rally three or four funerals every day, it may 
be easily imagined that the effect on those left 
behind was not the most cheering. 

One other custom in the hospital struck me as 
very peculiar. When a patient became very bad 
the attendant generally gave him a spoonful of 
a substance which, from the smell, I have since 
thought must have been opium. Whether or not 
this was merely given to relieve pain I cannot 
say : I only know that the patient invariably died 
soon after taking it. 



■ 



1 



1 ESCAPE 11 

One day the spoon was brought to me, so I 
asked the attendant, one of the harmless lunatics, 
to place it on the table by my bedside. Occu- 
pying the adjoining pallet was a Brazilian soldier, 
who, waking up in the night, asked if he might 
have the stuff in the spoon, as he was in terrible 
pain. Thinking it might relieve him, 1 made no 
objection, and he eagerly swallowed the lot. The 
next morning he was dead ! 

After this experience, I was anxious to get out 
of my present quarters as rapidly as possible, and 
a chance came a day or two afterwards of which 
I at once took advantage. It happened to be 
Sunday, and my bed being close to one of the 
slits which served for windows, I heard the voices 
of some of the crew of the Lake Slmcoe outside. 
I at once shouted to attract their attention, and 
begged them to get me out of this awful hole. 
Recognising my voice, they threw themselves on 
the soldiers guarding the place, and, after a 
struggle, managed to get in, and carried me off. 
I was fearfully weak, and scarcely able to stand, 
but they managed to get me aboard ship 
at last, where, with proper attention, I soon 
recovered. 

On the homeward voyage we had terribly 
rough weather in the Atlantic, and the ship be- 
came top-heavy, listing to such an extent that 
the fore -yard-arms were practically in the water 
the whole time. For days we were drenched to 



12 JOHN BOYES 

the skin with the big seas which broke over the 
vessel continually, and the hull being practically 
under water, I wrapped myself in a blanket — 
having no dry clothing left — and kept my watch 
seated on the mast, which dipped in and out of 
the water with every roll of the ship. 

To add to our misfortune, scurvy broke out 
very badly among the crew, owing to the 
wretched quality of the food, and, altogether, 
we were very thankful when we at last made 
Falmouth harbour. 

Shortly after my return I joined the Royal 
Naval Reserve, in which I had to put in a 
month's drill every year, as I was still bent 
on getting into the Navy, if possible, and I 
thought that, if I could work my way up to 
a Lieutenancy in the Reserve, I might manage 
it that way. 

By this time I had done my twelve months in 
a sailing ship ; so, by shipping on steamers trad- 
ing to different parts, I was able to visit many 
interesting places. For twelve months I was on 
a boat trading between the various ports on the 
coast of India, and on another voyage was in 
a ship taking pilgrims from Port Said to Jedda. 
Our passengers on this voyage were chiefly Arabs 
and Turks on their way to Mecca. For another 
trip I shipped in one of the Royal Niger Com- 
pany's boats, and we went up the West Coast of 
Africa with trading goods, chiefly old flint-lock 



A COLLISION AT SEA 13 

rifles and gunpowder. We also had on board two 
or three white men, who were going on an ex- 
ploring trip into the interior. 

I was very much impressed with this part of 
the world, the tropical scenery was so mag- 
nificent on either side of the rivers, while I was 
intensely interested in the natives who came down 
to trade with the ship. I made up my mind that 
I would go into the interior myself some day, 
and get to know more about the country and 
its people. As it turned out, a good many 
things were to happen before this intention was 
carried out. 

During this trip I contracted malarial fever, 
and not being able to shake it off, had to go into 
hospital at Rotterdam on our return. On my 
recovery I spent some time on coasting vessels 
trading out to Guernsey, and one night, 
when we had put into Dungeness, through 
stress of weather, I had another startling ex- 
perience. 

Roused out of my sleep — it was my watch 
below — by a shout of '* All hands on deck ! " I 
rushed up, just in time to see another ship coming 
directly towards us. We shouted, but she kept 
on her course, and in a few seconds crashed into 
us. Apparently everybody lost their heads at 
once, and a scene of utter confusion followed, 
nobody appearing to know what to do. I saw 
that the yards of the two vessels had become 



14 JOHN BOYES 

entangled, and expected every minute to see them 
fall, and crush the boat, which was stowed aWay 
on deck ; so I made my way to the poop, and 
shouted to the crew to get the boat out at once. 
So great was the confusion that it is almost 
impossible to say what really happened. I only 
know that I eventually found myself in a boat 
with only one other man, and as we pulled off 
we saw the ship which had done the mischief 
apparently drifting away. Pulling to her, we 
managed to scramble aboard, and, to our great 
surprise, found that there was not a single soul 
on board, and we then remembered seeing her 
crew jumping on board our vessel at the time of 
the collision. Everything was in apple-pie order, 
and the lamp lit, and we could not find anything 
the matter with the ship, so that her crew must 
have been seized with a sudden fit of panic, and 
abandoned her in their fright . We were on board 
just in time to steer her clear of a steamer, 
and then we dropped anchor. The following 
morning her crew returned on board, looking 
rather foolish, and we were transferred to 
our own vessel, which was then towed to 
London. 

I put in a claim on account of salvage, and 
after a good deal of delay, found that the owners 
had settled for salvage, demurrage, and loss 
with the captain of the barque, who was also the 
owner. I had left the ship when we reached 



I START FOR AFRICA 15 

London, but happened to meet the captain later 
on in Hull, when he invited me to accompany him 
to Guernsey, to see about my share of the salvage 
money. At the last minute I found that I could 
not go, so he promised to write me on the matter, 
but on the homeward voyage his boat was lost, 
and he went down with it, so the letter never 
arrived. Although very disappointed at the loss 
of my expected windfall, I was very glad I had 
not been able to go with the captain, or I should 
have lost my life as well. 

Since my last voyage I had been working up 
for my certificate, attending a Navigation School 
on Prince's Dock Side, in Hull : but I was 
doomed to disappointment, as, when I came to 
be medically examined, the doctor found that 
my eyesight was affected, and could not pass me. 
This was the result of the yellow fever from which 
I had suffered in Brazil. 

After this I had to give up all hopes of the sea 
as a career, unless I was willing to remain before 
the mast all my life, and that was by no means 
my idea ; so my thoughts turned to Africa, and 
I remembered the impression made on my mind 
by the little I had already seen of it, and the 
attraction which the idea of its huge unexplored 
districts had always had for me since my school- 
days, and I decided to see what I could do out 
there . 

Being again at the end of my money, the only 



16 



JOHN BOYES 



way I could get there was by working my 
passage, and as I could not get a berth in any, 
boat going from Hull, I went to London, and 
being successful, landed at Durban, in Natal, just 
after the Jameson Raid. 



CHAPTER II 

I work my way up-country to Matabeleland — Employed 
as fireman on an engine — Reach Johannesburg — Trek 
the rest of the way to Bulawayo — Take service in the 
Matabeleland Mounted Police — Join the Africander Corps 
engaged in putting down the rebellion — Go into trade in 
Bulawayo — Return to the coast— I take to the stage — Work 
my way on an Arab dhow to Mombasa, February, 1898 — 
Cool official reception 

LEARNING that the Matabele War had 
broken out, I made every effort to get up 
to the front ; but as I had had no previous 
experience, the military authorities would not 
take me on. However, I was determined to get 
to Bulawayo somehow, and with this idea made 
a start by taking the train for Pietermaritzburg, 
having just enough funds left to pay the fare. 
On arriving I was lucky enough to get a job to 
look after the engine and boiler at a steam 
bakery, and with the money I thus earned I was 
able to move on, a fortnight later, to Charles - 
town. I had now just enough money to pay for 
a night's lodging, and the next morning I crossed 
the boundary between Natal and the Transvaal, 

r. 17 



18 JOHN BOYES 

and moved on to Volksrust, getting a glimpse of 
the famous Majuba Hill on my journey. 

Of course, I was open to take any job that 
offered, and it so happened that I was lucky 
enough to get one that very morning, as fireman 
on the railway. 

On applying at the station, I was asked if I 
was experienced in the work, and having just left 
a steam bakery, and remembering my experience 
with the trawler's donkey engine, I modestly said 
that I was, and was duly engaged and told to get 
on the engine of the mail train for Standerton, 
which was standing in the station, ready to start, 
and get on with the work. 

The driver was a Hollander who spoke very 
little English, which fact I looked upon as a 
stroke of luck, as he would be less likely to ask 
awkward questions. He did ask me if I had done 
any firing before, and I gave him the same 
answer as I had given to the official on the 
platform. He soon put me to a practical test 
when, looking at the gauge glass, he told me to 
turn on the pump to fill the boiler. I had not 
the slightest idea where the pump was, but, 
noticing that, as he gave the order he looked at 
a handle which was sticking out, I promptly 
seized that, and began working it vigorously up 
and down. He at once began to shout, and I 
found that I had made a mistake, the handle only 
having to be lifted to a certain point, and then 



FIREMAN ON AN ENGINE 19 

a tap turned on. Seeing that the driver seemed 
to expect some explanation of my mistake, I 
remarked that the arrangement was different 
from those I had been used to, which was 
perfectly true, and this seemed to satisfy him, as 
he merely said that I should, no doubt, get used 
to it in time. 

But I was fated to exhibit my ignorance still 
further before we started. 

I was looking over the side of the engine, when 
the driver gave an order which I failed to under- 
stand, being engaged in watching the antics of 
an official on the platform, who was waving his 
arms and gesticulating wildly. He looked so 
funny that I burst out laughing, and the more I 
laughed the wilder he got. In the meantime the 
driver was grumbling, and came across to find 
out the cause of my laughter, and, seeing the 
man on the platform, turned on me, and asked 
why I had not reported the signal to start? It 
then suddenly dawned upon me that the order 
that had been given me was to watch for " Right 
away," but his English was so funny that I 
thought he wanted me to look out for some 
friend he expected. 

As Standerton was two hundred miles on my 
way to Bulawayo, I had thought of leaving the 
train there, but my clothes had got so dirty and 
greasy that I thought it best to stay on a little 
longer, until I had saved enough money to get 



20 JOHN BOYES 

some more clothes and help me on my way to 
Johannesburg. 

This particular engine proved to be one of the 
hardest for firing on the whole line, and I soon 
found that I had got the job because no ,one 
else would take it, and after a fortnight on it 
I was so knocked up that I decided to take a 
few days off, but on applying for my pay I was 
told that I should have to go to Standerton to 
get it. This suited my book exactly, and the 
idea entered my head, " Why not get a free 
pass to Johannesburg?" as they had given me 
one to Standerton, to draw my money. So when 
I drew the money the officials at Standerton were 
somewhat startled when I demanded a free 
pass to Johannesburg. They seemed to think I 
was crazy, but I quickly assured them that I 
was perfectly sane and meant to have the pass 
before I left the office. 

They stormed and threatened, but seeing that 
I did not mean to budge, they finally gave me 
the pass, with the remark that the English were 
always so stupid and obstinate. ' 

Getting some fresh clothes, I boarded the train, 
and at last arrived in Johannesburg. Here I 
found that most of the men in the town fire 
brigade were sailors, so I soon made friends, 
and had hopes of getting into the brigade, but 
after waiting a day or two, and seeing no prospect 
of an opening, I was advised to walk round the 



JOHANNESBURG 21 

mines to see if I could get anything to do there, 
but there were plenty of others on the same 
job, many of them old hands, and I found that 
I stood very little chance of employment. 

I was still studying how to get up to Bulawayo, 
which I was told would cost me about £50 by 
coach, then the regular means of making the 
journey. At one of the mines I was lucky 
enough to meet a sailor, and getting a warm 
invitation to spend a few days with him, I 
accepted, on the chance that something might 
turn up. Visiting the saloon which was the 
meeting-place for the miners in the evening, I 
became acquainted with a man named Adcock, 
and as a consequence of an argument on the 
strained relations between the Boers and Out- 
landers, a row arose, in which I got mixed up, 
and I was ordered to leave the camp. Outside I 
came across Adcock, who told me that he was 
going up to Bulawayo, and had his outfit — which 
consisted of twenty mule wagons and one hundred 
horses, which he was taking up for the Govern- 
ment — camped a little distance away. 

This was my chance, but at first he was inclined 
to refuse my request to be allowed to go up 
with him, but on my promising to make myself 
as useful as possible on the journey, he finally 
agreed to take me. There were six white men 
in the party, in addition to Adcock and myself, 
and about fifty natives, chiefly Cape boys and 



22 JOHN BOYES 

Hottentots. My duties were to look after these 
natives and the stores. 

Bulawayo was about six hundred miles 
up-country from Johannesburg, and the order 
of the march was for the white men, who were 
all mounted, to drive the horses in front of the 
caravan, while the wagons, under charge of the 
native drivers, followed on behind. 

With a crack of his long whip like a pistol 
shot, each driver set his team in motion, and we 
started on our long trek up-country. The natives 
are very expert with these whips, being able, 
from their place at the front of the wagon, to 
single out any one of the ten or twelve mules 
which form the team before them. 

My efforts as a rider were the subject of much 
sarcastic and good-humoured comment from my 
companions, but before the end of our journey 
I was as good a rider as any in the outfit. 

The country through which we passed was for 
the most part open veldt, dotted with thorn- 
bushes, and the climate being dry and hot, the 
scarcity of water is a continual source of anxiety 
to the traveller in this part. Our animals suffered 
most severely, as there was no grass to be found, 
and after crossing the Limpopo they began to 
fall sick, and our progress became slower and 
slower with each day's march. 

When we arrived at a place called Maklutsi 
the mules were all so utterly done up that they 



ON TREK 23 

could go'TionFarther, so the horses and some of 
the wagons went on to Sahsbury, and the natives 
returned. 

I had the choice of going back with the 
natives or continuing my journey on foot, and, 
choosing the latter course, I was provided with 
a small quantity of flour and some bully beef, 
and saying goodbye to my companions, I started 
out on my solitary trek. 

Food at Maklutsi was very dear in conse- 
quence of the transport having been entirely dis- 
organised by a serious outbreak of rinderpest. 
The price of an ordinary tin of corned beef 
(bully beef) had risen to 5s., and bread cost is. 
a loaf. There was no work to be got here, so 
I left the settlement at once and started on my 
150 miles' tramp to Bulawayo. 

Having no means of carrying my food com- 
foirtably, I tied up the legs of a spare pair of 
trousers, and putting the flour in one leg and the 
beef in the other, I slung these improvised pro- 
vision-bags over my shoulder, along with my 
cooking-pots, and started oflf. 

When I had been two days on the road I was 
lucky enough to fall in with a travellin'g 
companion, in the person of an old soldier 
named Grant, who was also making his way 
to Bulawayo. 

We agreed to travel on together, and Grant, 
who saw everything in a humorous light, en- 



24 JOHN BOYES 

livened the journey with his cheery conversa- 
tion and good-natured chaff. He had run out 
of food and would have been in a tight fix if I 
had not come u^) with him ; but he took every- 
thing very philosophically, and I imagine that 
his lively spirits would have kept him going to 
the last gasp. 

We shared the provisions as long as they 
lasted, but as I had only provided for myself, 
the supply gradually diminished until, stopping 
one day for a rest near a water-hole we had 
found in the bush, we found that we had not 
a scrap of food left. 

Grant had thrown himself on the ground 
utterly exhausted, and I went off to the pool 
to have a bathe. Stepping into the water, I felt 
something slimy under my foot, and stooping 
down and groping beneath my foot, I found that it 
was a fish of the kind known in Africa as mud- 
fish. They are good enough eating, and in our 
present famished condition promised a very 
appetising dish, and to my delight, on feeling 
round, I found that the pool was simply full of 
the fish, and we need have no further anxiety 
about food for the next few days. 

I learned from the experience gained later 
during my journeyings through Africa that the 
smaller rivers all dry up after the rainy season, 
leaving only a few pools, such as the one we 
had struck, and, of course, all the fish naturally 



MUD-FISH 25 

make for the deeper spots as soon as they find 
the water going down. This accounted for the 
large quantity of fish to be found in the pool, 
which I proceeded to catch and throw on to 
the bank to dry as fast as I could. Having 
done this, I went back to Grant to tell him of 
our good luck. By way of breaking the news 
gently, I asked him if he would like a feed of 
fish, to which he replied with some comical 
remark to the effect that he really had no appetite, 
thinking that I was only chafifing. However, 
when he found it was really true, and saw the 
fish I brought up to cook for our meal, he was 
in no way behind me in getting to work on the 
best meal we had had for some days. 

Not wishing to waste the fish, of which we 
could not manage to take much with us, we 
stayed there for a few days and were much better 
for the rest. We managed to dry a little of the 
fish, which we took with us when we moved on 
again. 

This proved to be the turning-point of our 
luck, as a few days later we were overtaken by 
a Boer, going up to Bulawayo with a mule-wagon, 
and exchanged some of our dried fish with him 
for a little tea, flour, and a few other things, 
which we had now been without for several days. 
He seemed a good sort, so we begged him to 
give us a lift, which he did willingly enough, so 
our troubles were over for that journey. 



26 JOHN BOYES 

I was so anxious to get into Bulawayo that I 
left the wagon when we were still some miles 
from the end of our journey, and made my way 
ahead on foot. This was a stupid thing to do, 
as we were well aware that the Matabele were 
already out in that district. We had found all 
the forts, as the police posts were called, under 
arms on the way up. These posts, which were 
placed at intervals along the road, were small 
positions protected by earthworks and barbed - 
wire entanglements, and occupied by thirty or 
forty men, with perhaps a Maxim gun. Many 
of them were the scenes of desperate fights 
during the rising, but their very names are un- 
known to people in England, who only regarded 
the Matabele rising as one of our many little 
wars, and as it did not affect their everyday life, 
took little or no interest in it. 

I was lucky enough to get safely into Bula- 
wayo without adventure, arriving about two 
o'clock in the afternoon, and was not surprised 
to find the town under martial law. Everybody 
was armed, and a big laager had been formed in 
the market-place, where the women and children 
gathered when an alarm was raised. 

Being directed to the office of the Matabele- 
land Mounted Police, I lost no time in presenting 
myself before the officer in charge. I found 
that the conditions of service were good, the 
pay being at the rate of los. a day and all found, 
so I was duly enrolled. 



THE MOUNTED POLICE 27 

After a good bath I discarded my old clothes 
and reappeared in full war-paint, feeling the 
self-respect which accompanies the wearing of 
a decent suit of clothes for the first time after 
some months in rags. 

The police had no recognised uniform, but 
all wore a khaki suit, with a slouch hat, the 
different troops being known by the colour of 
the pugaree. A troop consisted of from thirty 
to fifty men. 

Having been supplied with a Martini-Henry 
rifle and fifty rounds of ammunition, I was now 
fully equipped, and the next day I went out, 
in all the glory of my new uniform, to meet the 
mule-wagon. My improved appearance made 
such an impression on Grant that he lost no time 
in enlisting, and was enrolled the same day. 

After three months in this troop of police, I 
joined the Africander Corps, which was a body 
of irregulars attached to them under Captain 
Van Niekerk. As they were composed of experi- 
enced men, well acquainted with the country 
and accustomed to savage warfare, I thought 
there would be a much better chance of seeing 
some of the fighting. 

We were scouting in the outlying district, 
where the Matabele had been seen, but although 
we got into touch with them here and there, we 
had no serious engagement. Later on we were 
sent out on the Shangani Patrol, visiting the 



28 JOHN BOYES 

district where Major Wilson and his party were 
cut up during the first Matabele War. 

This patrol numbered from two hundred to 
three hundred police, with the mounted infantry 
of the Yorks and Lanes Regiment, a detachment 
of the 7th Hussars, under Colonel Paget — with 
whom was Prince Alexander of Teck — and a 
battalion of infantry. 

The natives were lodged in the hills, and from 
a position of comparative safety were able to 
pour in a galling fire on the troops, while we were 
unable to inflict any serious loss on them in 
return. However, we lost only a few men killed, 
but had several deaths from fever. 

The man who gave us the greatest trouble 
was a chief named Umwini, who was the leader 
of the rebellion in that district. I was present 
on several occasions at indabas {Indaba is the 
native word for a meeting to discuss any matter), 
when he would come out of his stronghold and 
stand on the rocks in full view of us ; but when 
asked to surrender, he replied contemptuously 
that we were a lot of boys and that he would 
never be taken by us. 

His kraal was high up amongst some almost 
inaccessible crags on the mountain side, and all 
efforts failed to dislodge him, until a few of the 
Dutch Corps, of whom I was one, managed to 
steal upon him unawares. We reached his cave 
in the early dawn, and saw him, through the 



1 



B.-R 29 

opening, sitting, with only a few of his followers, 
round some lighted candles which he had prob- 
ably looted from one of the stores. One of our 
men, taking careful aim, shot him through the 
shoulder, and then, rushing the cave, we took 
him prisoner. He was tried by a court martial, 
and sentenced to be shot, and when the time 
came for the sentence to be carried out he 
showed himself a thoroughly brave man, refusing 
to be blindfolded or to stand with his back to 
the firing party, saying that he wished to see 
death coming. 

It was about this time that I first met B.-P. — 
now General Sir R. S. S. Baden-Powell, but then 
only Colonel — who had been sent up to take 
charge of the operations, and who confirmed the 
court martial's sentence on Umwini. I was on 
water guard that day, to see that the natives did 
not poison the stream, when a man whom I took 
for a trooper came up and entered into conversa- 
tion with me, asking about my past experiences, 
&c., and it was only when I got back to camp, 
after going off duty, that I found I had been 
talking to the officer in command of the expedi- 
tion. 

A general plan of attack was now organised, 
under the direction of Colonel Baden-Powell, 
and the natives were finally dislodged from the 
hills and the rebellion crushed. 

On the successful termination of the patrol a 



30 JOHN BOYES 

fort was built at Umvunga Drift, where I re- 
mained for some time ; but it was a most 
unhealthy place, nearly every man going down, 
sooner or later, with fever and dysentery. There 
was absolutely no medicine of any sort in the 
place, and we consequently lost several men. I 
myself had a bad attack of dysentery, but 
managed to cure it by making a very thin mixture 
with my ration of flour and some water, which 
I drank daily until the attack was cured. 

In the centre of the fort stood a big tree, and 
after cutting away the branches at the top we 
erected a platform on the trunk, which, besides 
serving as a look-out, made a splendid platform 
for a Maxim gun which we mounted there, and 
were thus able to command the surrounding 
country within range. A 

During my stay here we had one or two 
brushes with the natives, but they gradually 
settled down ; so, on a relief force being sent 
up, I returned to Bulawayo, where the corps 
was disbanded. I then got a post as one of 
the guard over a number of murderers lying in 
Bulawayo gaol awaiting sentence, all of whom 
were finally hanged. 

In the course of the twelve months that I 
remained in Bulawayo I made the acquaintance 
of a man named Elstop, who is mentioned by 
Mr. F. C. Selous in one of his books. This 
man was one of the oldest hands in the country. 



F. C. SELOUS 31 

and had been one of the pioneers in Rhodesia, 
and had also spent a good deal of time trading 
and storekeeping among the natives of the 
interior. 

It was my acquaintance with him that finally 
decided me on my future course of action. The 
tales he told of his experiences in the earlier 
days, when elephants and other game were to 
be met with in plenty, fired my blood, and I 
said that I wished I had been in the country 
at that time. He said that I should probably 
find the same state of things still existing farther 
north. This was quite enough for me, and I 
resolved to find out for myself if he was right. 

I was then in partnership with a man named 
Frielich, carrying on business as fruit and 
produce merchants, under the name of the 
Colonial Fruit and Produce Stores of Bulawayo. 
I had put practically all my savings into the 
business, but this did not alter my resolution to 
go north, and by mutual agreement we dissolved 
partnership . 

I have since learned that Frielich finally made 
over £100,000 out of the business. Before the 
Boer War broke out he had stored an immense 
amount of forage, which he was able to sell 
during the war at his own price, and so amassed 
a comfortable fortune, in which, of course, had 
I stayed in Bulawayo, I should have shared. 

Before starting out on our new venture I 



32 JOHN BO YES 

thought I would take a short hoHday at the sea- 
side ; so going down to East London, in Cape 
Colony, I joined some men I had met during 
the Matabele War, and we stayed there some 
time, camping out on the sands. 

Finding that the funds were running out, I 
took to the sea again, and, getting a ship, worked 
my way round to Durban. Here I had to look 
round again for something to do, and finding 
that a Shakespearian company was playing in the 
town at the time, I presented myself at the stage 
manager's office and applied for an engagement. 
They happened to have a vacancy, and I was 
taken on for small parts. The company was 
at rehearsal when I was engaged, and I was 
told to take my place at once among the others 
on the stage. As far as I could judge, I was 
no worse than the other members of the com- 
pany, and for a month I appeared nightly for 
the edification of the aristocracy of Durban. 

Tiring of the stage, I again took to the sea, 
and worked my way, from port to port, round 
to Zanzibar, where I gathered all the informa- 
tion I could about the interior, which did not 
amount to much more than that the country was 
very wild indeed. 

However, my mind was made up now, and I 
was not to be scared off my plan ; so, as there 
were no boats running to Mombasa— which is 
the gateway of British East Africa— I bargained 



« 



ON BOARD A DHOW 33 

with an Arab for a passage on a dhow which 
carried native passengers between the various 
ports along the coast. The owner of the dhow 
provided no accommodation for his passengers, 
and I suppose one could hardly expect that he 
•would, seeing that the fare from Zanzibar to 
Mombasa— a distance of about 250 miles— was 
only two rupees, or two shillings and eightpence 1 

The boat had a single mast, and carried one 
huge sail. It had no compass or lights, and was 
navigated round the coast by keeping as close 
inshore as possible all the time. There was no 
place to make a fire or any provision for cook- 
ing. It had been so, the Arab told me, in the 
days of his father, and what was good enough for 
his father was good enough for him and those 
who chose to travel with him. This was said 
in Arabic, but was translated to me by a fellow - 
passenger who could speak a little English. 

With fully fifty people on board the tiny craft 
we started on our voyage along the coast, but 
had not gone very far before we were in trouble. 
With the huge sail set to catch the breeze, we 
were flying merrily along, when we were sud- 
denly brought up all standing, and found that 
we had come across some obstacle in the water. 
We were very quickly informed what it was by 
a shouting crowd of excited native fishermen who 
swarmed round our boat, loudly demanding to 
be compensated for the damage done to their 



34 JOHN BOYES 

nets, which, it seemed, formed the obstacle that 
had pulled us up and which we had destroyed. 

The owner of the dhow did not seem to be at 
all disposed to give in to their demands, and 
they were about to seize the small boat which 
we were towing behind us, when I thought it 
was time to take a hand in the argument, as, 
in case of any accident to the dhow, this boat 
was our only hope of safety, the waters in that 
part being said to be infested with sharks. Pick- 
ing up an axe, which happened to be lying handy, 
I jumped into the boat and threatened to brain 
the first man who came within reach. Although 
they did not understand English, my attitude 
was evidently suggestive enough to make it clear 
that they were safer at a distance, and, realizing 
that they were not likely to get any satisfaction 
by continuing the argument, they allowed us to 
proceed on our way. 

After this we made fairly good headway, with 
a favourable wind, and, occupied in watching 
the changing scenery opening out as we made 
our way along the coast, I had almost forgotten 
the incident. L was settling down to enjoy the 
trip when, without any warning, ^we were sud- 
denly pulled up again with a jerk, and the dhow 
came to a fuUstop again. 

Every one immediately got into a wild state 
of excitement, shouting and gesticulating, and 
making a perfect pandemonium of noise. The 



STUCK ON A REEF 35 

captain was shouting as wildly as the rest, and, 
thinking he was giving orders, I was surprised 
to see that nobody attempted to carry them out, 
but on asking the passenger who could speak 
some English what orders he was giving, and 
why no one obeyed them, he said, " He is 
not giving orders, he is praying. He is calling 
on Allah to help him." This was no use to 
me, and I thought the best thing I could do 
was to take charge myself ; so, getting the man 
to whom I had spoken to act as interpreter, I told 
them what to do to put things right. They then 
calmed down a good deal, and I went to take 
soundings. There was no leadline on board, 
so I had to make one with some old iron and 
some pieces of rope that were lying about. On 
sounding I found plenty of water on one side of 
the ship, while on the other it was very shallow, 
so that we were evidently stuck on a reef. As 
soon as I was certain of this I lashed some 
rope to the anchor, and had it taken out about 
twenty or thirty yards from the ship, in the small 
boat, and then dropped overboard. Then I made 
everybody lend a hand to pull hard on the rope, 
and after about six hours' hard work w^e managed 
to pull her off. In case of trouble I kept the 
axe handy, but they were ready enough to obey 
my orders, so nothing happened. 

When we got her off I found that the dhow 
was leaking pretty badly, so everybody was kept 



36 JOHN BOYES 

busy baling out the water, while I took the helm, 
and, keeping her close in to the land, steered 
towards Mombasa. 

Noticing a large white building on the shore, 
I asked what it was, and my interpreter told 
me that it was the residence of a white man, 
and that the place was called Shimoni ; so I 
took the boat in as close as possible and dropped 
anchor. On landing I found that the house was 
occupied by a British official, who offered to 
put me up, so I stayed the night there. The 
next morning I found that the dhow had con- 
tinued her journey, and, as Mombasa was only 
thirty miles from Shimoni, I walked the rest 
of the way. 

Mombasa is the starting-point of the Uganda 
Railway, of which so much has already been 
written. At the time of my arrival the railway 
was only in the initial stages of its construction, 
and just beginning to stretch its track through 
the almost unknown interior of British East 
Africa. So far it had only advanced a com- 
paratively short distance into the Protectorate, 
and from the very start the engineers were faced 
at every step with some of the numerous diffi- 
culties which lie in the way of railway building 
in a new and savage country, from men and 
animals, as well as from the climate and tropical 
vegetation. The loss of life from wild animals, 
as well as from the climate, was very heavy. 



MOMBASA 37 

In those days the European quarter of Mom- 
basa was only a small cluster of buildings— 
chiefly Government ofiices— with one hotel, 
which was kept by a Greek. Two or three 
Europeans trading in the interior had stores here, 
and the British Government was represented by 
a Sub -Commissioner. 

Mombasa— meaning Isle of War— is of great 
interest to the student of history. It is situated 
on an island, connected to the mainland by a 
bridge. There is a huge native town and an 
old Portuguese fort, several hundred years old, 
built in the days of Henry the Navigator, in 
whose reign the Portuguese ships visited all the 
ports of the known world, and many others, till 
then unknown. 

Thinking that I should be most likely to get 
the information I required from the Government, 
I called on the Sub -Commissioner, and asked 
him to advise me as to the best way of carrying 
out my plan of visiting the interior. Very much 
to my surprise, I was received with the scantest 
courtesy, and given very plainly to understand 
that white men, whether travellers or hunters, 
were by no means welcome. They were not 
wanted, he told me, under any circumstances, 
and he advised me to leave the country at once. 



CHAPTER 111 

1898 : Determine to organize a transport caravan on the 
Uganda Railway route, to convey provisions for the coolies 
working on the railway — Man-eating lions at railway con- 
struction camps — Reach the borderland of the Masai and 
Kikuyu tribes — Desertion of my men — Return to railhead — 
Start out again with convoys for Uganda^Loss of my trans- 
port animals — Decide to enter the Kikuyu country 

I OWN I was a little discouraged by this 
reception, but it did not alter my deter- 
mination to remain— in spite of the veiled 
threat of the official to prevent my going up- 
country ; so I set out to make a few inquiries 
for myself. 

I found that there were a number of caravans 
going up to Uganda, the main road to which 
place was protected by a line of forts, placed 
about a hundred miles apart. North and south 
of this caravan road the country was practically 
unknown, being under no administration, and 
chiefly inhabited by hostile tribes. 

A mutiny had recently broken out among the 
troops in Uganda, on account of which the whole 
country was in disorder, and a lot of transport 



A TRANSPORT CARAVAN 39 

was required in the disaffected district. Here, 
again, I thought I saw my opportunity. 

At that time everything had to be carried upon 
the heads of native porters, so that each load, 
averaging about sixty pounds in weight, was cost- 
ing from sixty to one hundred rupees— very often 
a lot more than the value of the goods carried 
—before it reached its destination. 

I was convinced that this state of things could 
be improved on ; and chancing to meet a man 
named Gibbons— a white trader— as I left the 
Commissioner, I talked over the question of 
cheapening the cost of transport with him, and 
we finally decided that it could be done by using 
donkeys and wagons in the place of porters ; 
so we decided to try the scheme in partnership. 

Having settled the bargain, we set to work 
to prepare the expedition. Altogether we pur- 
chased about thirty donkeys, which cost us about 
a hundred rupees each, and got as many 
wagons as we thought sufficient. In the mean- 
time I set to work to make the harness, as we 
could not get any in Mombasa, and by using 
rope and sacking I managed to turn out a 
sufficient number of very creditable sets. 

We also decided to take a hundred porters 
with us in case of accident, as our contract pro- 
vided for a heavy fine if we did not deliver the 
goods on time. These porters were chiefly 
Swahili, a name meaning '* coast dwellers." 



40 JOHN BOYES 

These Swahili consider themselves more civilized 
than the people of the interior. They practise t| 

the Mohammedan religion and copy the Arabs 
in their dress. Swahili porters march under a 
headman of their own race, who receives his 
orders and repeats them to his followers. If, 
as sometimes happens, there are porters from 
other native tribes in the caravan, each tribe 
has its representative headman. For each ten 
carriers there is an askarl, or soldier, who is 
armed with a rifle, and whose duty it is to keep 
guard at night and protect the caravan on the 
road. These askaris also act as police and keep 
order generally, and bring in any deserters. As 
may be easily imagined, it would hardly do to 
trust merely to the askaris' sense of duty for 
the prevention of desertion, but a clearly under- 
stood condition of their engagement in that 
capacity ensures their using their best endeavours 
to prevent anything of the sort. It is the recog- 
nized rule on all safaris that, if any man of the 
ten in an askari's section deserts, and the askari 
cannot bring him back, he will himself have to 
carry the deserter's load for the rest of the 
journey. Apart from the unpleasantness of 
having to carry a sixty-pound load in the ranks 
of the porters instead of swaggering along with 
no other burden than his rifle, ammunition, and 
blanket, the blow to his self-importance involved 
in the degradation from askari to porter is one 



* 



THE CARAVAN IN UGANDA 41 

that would be severely felt by any nigger, who 
is probably blessed with more self-esteem than 
even a circus -ring master or a newly appointed 
Sub -Commissioner, and the fear of such degrada- 
tion is a wonderful spur on the askaris' watch- 
fulness. A cook and a private servant completed 
the outfit. 

On this occasion we had two hundred loads 
of Government goods to take up to Uganda, and 
one hundred loads of trade goods which we were 
taking up on our own account, our intention 
being to deliver the Government goods at their 
destination and then start on a private trading 
and hunting expedition away up north, in the 
direction of Lake Rudolph, where we hoped to 
buy more donkeys, as we had heard that they 
were very cheap in that district. 

Having completed all our arrangements, we 
put the whole caravan— men, donkeys, wagons, 
and loads — on the train, and started for rail- 
head, which was then about 150 miles from 
Mombasa. This was in the year 1898. On 
arriving safely at the terminus of the line we left 
the train and went into camp. 

»We found that the district around us was 
infested with lions, whose ferocity had created 
such a state of panic among the Indian coolies 
working on the construction of the line that the 
work had practically stopped. No less than 
thirty of the coolies had been carried off by them. 



42 JOHN BOYES 

and I found the remainder sleeping in the trees 
and afraid to go to work. 

Many stories were told of the audacity of the 
lions, who prowled round the camp nightly, and 
rarely left without one or more victims. In one 
case an Irishman, named O'Hara, who had 
charge of the coolies engaged in the construction 
of the line, set himself to watch for the man- 
eater, in the hope of getting a shot at him, and 
took his post with his rifle by the door of his 
tent, in which his wife was sleeping. The night 
passed without incident, and towards morning 
he must have dozed off, for his wife awakened 
to see him being dragged off into the bush by 
a lion. His mutilated body was eventually 
found by the search party within a short distance 
of the camp. 

On another occasion three men with whom I 
was personally well acquainted had a remarkable 
experience. They were watching for lions from 
a railway carriage— a construction wagon on the 
line— the door of which they left open. Two 
of them, Perenti and Hubner, made themselves 
as comfortable as they could on rugs laid on the 
floor of the carriage to rest till their turn for 
watching came, while the third, a man named 
Rial, took up a position near the door, where 
he evidently fell asleep. A prowling lion scented 
the party, and took a flying leap into the carriage. 
The impact of his landing made the carriage 



MAN-EATING LIONS 43 

oscillate, and swung the door to, caging the whole 
party and their unwelcome guest. Perenti told 
me that he was wakened by the curious smell 
of the lion, and, putting out his hand, felt the 
animal standing over him. Directly he was 
touched the beast let out a terrific roar, and, 
seizing Rial by the throat, sprang clean through 
the window with him and made off. The body, 
partly eaten, was found in the bush next morning. 
Some of the dodges to kill the lions had dis- 
tinctly humorous results, and I remember being 
tnuch amused with the story of one man's ex- 
perience. I must explain that to provide the 
labourers with water, tanks were placed beside 
the line, which were refilled at intervals. One 
genius had the idea of lying in wait for lions 
in one of these tanks, in one side of which he 
made a hole in which to insert the barrel of his 
rifle— quite overlooking the fact that the lion 
might prefer to approach from the opposite side, 
which was what actually happened. The animal, 
scenting him, immediately knocked the lid off 
the tank and tried to fish him out with his paw. 
He was unable to get his rifle round, and could 
only shrink into the smallest possible space in 
the corner of the tank— fortunately beyond the 
reach of the lion— and remain quiet until the beast 
was driven off. He was lucky enough to escape 
with a torn blanket and a few deep scratches 
where the lion had just managed to reach him 



44 JOHN BOYES 

with his claws. Of course, he had to endure a 
considerable amount of chaff on the result of his 
original attempt at lion -hunting. 

I myself had a narrow escape before leaving 
railhead, for which the lions were indirectly re- 
sponsible. I had been dining with one of the 
railway officials, and had stayed rather late, it 
being after ten o'clock when I set out to return 
to my own camp. Not expecting to be out so 
late, I had not brought my rifle, so, as it was 
of course pitch dark, I took a blazing brand 
from the camp fire, and started to walk the two 
miles to my own place. After going for some 
time I saw some fires in the distance, and, think- 
ing they were those of my own people, I made 
towards them. All at once I heard a terrific 
din of shouting and beating of empty paraffin - 
cans. While wondering what on earth all the 
row was about I heard firing, and some shots 
whizzed past, unpleasantly close to my head. 
Dropping flat, I began shouting, and the firing 
presently ceased. I was then able to make my 
way into camp, which I found was one made 
for some of the Indian coolies, who had mis- 
taken the light of my firebrand for the eye of 
a lion. I was persuaded to stay the remainder 
of the night in their bonia and return to my 
own camp in the morning. A boma, or zareba 
as it is called in the Soudan, is a rough fence 
of thorn -bushes or brushwood built round a 



EN ROUTE FOR UGANDA 46 

camp to keep prowlers, whether two or four 
footed, at a distance. 

We were all very busy now, getting the wagons 
and harness ready and fixing up the loads for 
our journey to Uganda. 

We found that if we were to get the 
loads through by the time agreed upon we should 
want at least five hundred porters, so we tried 
to engage some natives from the Wakamba * to 
go with us. With the native disinclination to 
move except just as they felt inclined, they abso- 
lutely refused to go ; so it was arranged that 
I should go on ahead with the wagons, while 
Gibbons should come on later with the porters. 

I started with one hundred loads of Govern- 
ment stuff on five wagons, while my camp outfit, 
food, &c., was carried on another, and took about 
twenty of the men with me. Being unable 
to get the necessary porters, we had to leave 
some of the loads behind in charge of two of 
the men, intending to return for them later, b\it, 
as it happened, we never saw them again. 

I soon found that the donkey outfit did 
not work by any means as smoothly as we 
had hoped, the donkeys never having been 
in harness before and the men being new 
to the work. The drivers could not keep 
on the road, wagons capsized, and things 

^ Wakamba, i.e., natives of the Kamba tribe who inhabit 
that region, 



46 JOHN BOYES 

went wrong generally. None of the rivers we 
had to cross were bridged, and when we had 
got the wagons down into the hollow of the river 
bed it was a terrible job to get them up on 
the other side ; the only way being to get all 
the boys to push at the back, so that it took 
several hours' hard work at each of the rivers 
before we managed to get donkeys, wagons, and 
loads from one side to the other. 

The country generally was dry and bushy, 
being covered with thick scrub, which made our 
progress so slow that, after two or three days' 
travelling, we were overtaken by Gibbons with 
the remainder of the men. 

While we were sitting by the camp fire that 
night, waiting for a meal, I was very nearly shot 
by Gibbons, who was anxious to explain the 
working of the Snider rifle to me. Taking a 
rifle from an askari, he put in a cartridge, wishing 
to show me that it was absolutely impossible for 
it to go off at half-cock, and, pointing the rifle 
towards me, he said, " You see, it won't go off 
now." I objected, and was pushing the rifle to 
one side, when it actually did go off, the bullet 
whizzing close by my ear ! 

The free, gipsy-like life in the open just suited 
my inclination. The absolute freedom to go 
where one liked, and do as one liked, without any 
of the restrictions which meet one on every side 
in civilized countries, and the feeling that you 



NAIROBI 47 

are literally " monarch of all you survey," ap- 
pealed very strongly to me, and I felt that I 
had at last found the life suited thoroughly to 
my disposition. 

We started off again and made very good pro- 
gress, as, by the aid of the moon, we were able 
to travel at night. We were now crossing the 
Athi Plain, which extends for about one hundred 
miles and teems with almost every kind of game 
except elephants, so we were able to keep the 
caravan well supplied with meat. Almost every 
night my boys used to rouse me up with a scare 
of lions, but, although I always turned out, I 
never saw any cause for the excitement. 

After travelling for some days, we finally 
arrived at Nairobi, since become the capital of 
British East Africa, and here the character of 
the country completely changed. From the dry 
scrub -covered plain we now entered a splendid 
grazing country, with magnificent forests and 
beautiful woodland scenery, making a very 
pleasant change from the bare landscape of the 
last few marches. What is now known as 
Nairobi was then practically a swamp, and 
from the nature of the surrounding country 
I should never have imagined that it would 
be chosen as the site for the future capital 
of British East Africa. Indeed, I still 
think that by going a little farther west- 
ward a situation far more suitable in every 



48 JOHN BOYES 

way would have been found. The town of 
Nairobi takes its name from a river of the same 
name which rises in the neighbouring hilis, the 
river forming the boundary-line between the 
Masai and Kikuyu countries, and the plain where 
the town now stands was at this time an abso- 
lutely uninhabited district, without a village of 
any kind. We outspanned for the night on the 
edge of the swamp which borders the present 
town. Being thoroughly tired out with the day's 
work, I was resting in my tent, when about 
six o'clock in the afternoon I heard my boys 
calling me with one of the usual stories about 
lions being about. Finding that they seemed 
more excited than usual, I turned out to see if 
there really was any cause for alarm, and saw 
two lions stalking the donkeys in the gathering 
dusk. They came quite close up to the camp, 
and I then saw that one was a lioness, so, having 
heard that if the female were shot the male would 
clear off, while if the male were shot the female 
became savage, and would probably attack, I 
fired at the female and thought I hit her, though, 
owing to the bad light and the fact that my gun 
—a Martini -Metford— was a very poor one, and 
could not be relied on to shoot straight, I could 
not be certain. The animals turned and plunged 
into the swamp, but though we saw signs of 
blood and tracked them for some distance, we 
had to give up on account of the gathering dark- 



1 



THE KIKUYUS 49 

ness, and the next morning we could find no 
signs of them. 

Some of the Masai tribe were in the neigh- 
bourhood, and visited our camp. This was the 
first time I had come across any of this race, of 
whom so much has been written, and I was 
naturally very much interested. They seemed 
very friendly, and, in spite of their warlike 
reputation, we had no trouble with them at all. 
Physically, they were very fine specimens of the 
African native, and certainly make very good 
fighting-men. 

We were about to enter the practically un- 
known country of the Kikuyu tribe, a people 
whose reputation was such that only the most 
daring of the white traders would even venture 
to set foot over the boundary, and then only 
at the greatest risk of their lives and goods. 

Those who only know the Kikuyu people as 
they are to-day may find some difBculty in credit- 
ing many of the statements I shall make as to 
their character and reputation at the time when 
I spent some three or four very lively years 
among them, but a short quotation from the late 
Sir Gerald Portal's book on the " British Mission 
to Uganda in 1893," dealing with the race as 
they were then— which accurately describes them 
as I found them five years later— may help the 
doubting ones to a clearer realization of the facts . 

Describing the British East Africa Com- 



50 JOHN BOYES 

pany's station, Fort Smith/ in the Kikuyu 
country, Sir Gerald says :— 

" The Kikuyu tribes were practically hold- 
ing the Company's station in a state of 
siege." Later on he says: "We left the 
open plain and plunged into the darkness of 
a dense belt of forest, which forms the natural 
boundary of the regions inhabited by the 
treacherous, cunning, and usually hostile people 
of Kikuyu. Warned by the state of affairs which 
we had heard was prevailing at the Company's 
fort in this district, we were careful to keep all 
our people close together, every man within a 
couple of paces of his neighbour . One European 
marched in front, one in the rear, and one in 
the middle of the long line. The Wa-Kikuyu, 
as we knew, seldom or never show themselves, 
or run the risk of a fight in the open, but lie 
like snakes in the long grass, or in some dense 
bush within a few yards of the line of march, 
watching for a gap in the ranks, or for some 
incautious porter to stray away, or loiter a few 
yards behind ; even then not a sound is heard ; 
a scarcely perceptible ' twang ' of a small bow, 
the almost inaudible * whizz ' of a little poisoned 
arrow for a dozen yards through the air, a slight 
puncture in the arm, throat, or chest, followed, 
almost inevitably, by the death of a man. 

^ Fort Smith was situated close to where the present town 
of Nairobi now stands. 



FORT SMITH 51 

Another favourite trick of the VVa-Kikuyu is 
to plant poisoned skewers in the path, set at 
an angle of about forty-five degrees, pointing 
towards the direction from which the stranger 
is expected. If the path is much overgrown 
or hidden by the luxuriant growth of long grass, 
these stakes are of much greater length and so 
pointed that they would pierce the stomach of 
any one advancing towards them.^ Keeping a 
sharp look-out for these delicate attentions, our 
progress was inevitably slow, but at length we 
arrived without further adventure at the. strong 
stockade, ditch, brick houses, and well-guarded 
stores known as Fort Smith in Kikuyu, above 
which was floating the Company's flag. 

'* Outside the Fort itself the state of affairs 
was not so pleasant to contemplate. We were 
surrounded day and night by a complete ring 
of hostile Wa-Kikuyu, hidden in the long grass 
and bushes, and for any one to wander alone 
for more than two hundred yards from the 
stockade was almost certain death. On the 
morning of our arrival, a porter of Martin's 
caravan, who had strayed down to the long grass 
at the foot of the little hill on which the station 
is built, was speared through the back and killed 
within 250 paces of our tents. A short time 

^ Sir Gerald was evidently misinformed on this point, as 
I ascertained during my stay in the country that it had never 
been the custom to use long stakes such as he describes. 



62 JOHN BOYES 

before eight soldiers in the Company's service 
who were foraging for food— probably in an 
illicit manner — were all massacred in a neigh- 
bouring village ; and a day or two before our 
arrival the natives had even had the temerity 
to try and set fire to the fort itself at night. 

"It will, however, be a matter of time and 
difficulty, requiring great tact, patience, and firm- 
ness, to induce these Wa-Kikuyu to have con- 
fidence in Europeans, and to discontinue their 
practice of spearing or otherwise murdering any 
defenceless Swahili porter whom they may find 
straying away by himself. 

" Long before I went to their country myself 
I remember being told by an African traveller 
of great renown that the only way in which to 
deal with the Kikuyu people, whether singly or 
in masses, was to ' shoot at sight.' " 

The Martin mentioned by Sir Gerald Portal 
above was one of the pioneers of British East 
AfricaT He was a Maltese sailor, who came 
to this country with Joseph Thompson, and was 
the first white man to venture among the Masai. 
He now manages the Mabira forest rubber estate. 

Another traveller, Mr. G. F. Scott Elliott, 
speaking of the Kikuyu in his book, " A 
Naturalist in Mid Africa," says : " They are only 
too anxious to spear a lagging porter." ^ He also 

' For further reference to the Kikuyu tribe see Professor 
Gregory's excellent book <<The Great Rift Valley," 1896. 



THE KIKUYUS 53 

describes the murder by these people of forty- 
nine out of fifty men composing an Arab or 
Swahili trading caravan. 

Later on I was destined to be the first white 
man to Hve amongst this pleasant people, enter 
into their daily life, and bring them into some- 
thing like close touch with European civilization. 

We were warned to be very careful when we 
reached the Kikuyu country, and to keep a good 
guard, as they had a very bad name, being very 
treacherous and not to be trusted in any way ; 
but, keeping a sharp look-out, we passed the 
boundary without any interference from them. 
We kept to the caravan road, which passed along 
the outskirts of the country, as we were told 
that every caravan going through the country 
had had trouble with the natives, having had 
porters killed and goods stolen. 

About this time Gibbons left me and pushed 
on ahead, as we were anxious to get the loads 
through, while, the surrounding country being 
splendid grazing ground, I remained about a 
week to give the animals a rest before crossing 
the practically uninhabited district which lay 
between my present camp and the ravine — the 
station on the road to Uganda for which I was 
bound. 

Being short of donkeys, some having died 
on the road, I decided to redistribute the loads, 
and make the total weight somewhat less by 



54 JOHN BOYES 

leaving some of my personal belongings behind. 
Among the things I left was my tent. This I 
had good cause to regret later on. We had been 
gradually rising nearly all the way as we ap- 
proached the high escarpment of the Kedong 
Valley, which is about five thousand feet above 
sea-level, and therefore very cold, and the 
absence of my tent caused me considerable 
discomfort . 

Arriving at the top of the escarpment and 
looking down the precipitous slope on the farther 
side, the first question was how we were to get 
the wagons down into the valley, where we could 
see a number of Masai villages, the road being 
very narrow and full of holes, besides being 
plentifully strewn with boulders. 

I decided to camp at the top for the night 
and make a start early the next morning. That 
night on the top of the mountain taught me a 
lesson — never again to travel without my tent. 
Besides the discomfort of the cold, there is always 
the danger of getting a dose of fever, and this 
was what I did on the present occasion. 

Rousing the camp at a very early hour, we 
set to work to devise some means of getting the 
caravan down the side of the escarpment. There 
were no brakes on the wagons, and the donkeys 
would not go down even without the wagons 
unless they were absolutely driven. So, to get 
the wagons down, I tried a plan of my own, 



DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSPORT 55 

which, at the first attempt, came very near to 
killing me. 

Taking the donkeys out of the wagon, 1 placed 
a boy on each side with a rope to ease it down, 
while I took hold of the shaft. When it went 
too fast, I told the boys to put stones under the 
wheels to check the pace, and so let it down 
gradually. As I had already shown them how 
to place stones at the back of the wheels in 
coming up the hill to prevent the wagon running 
back, I thought that they would have the sense 
to see that the stones must be put in front when 
going down hill. The result impressed upon me 
the fact that the nigger cannot argue from 
analogy, but that everything you wish him to 
do must be carefully explained in the fullest 
detail. 

We got along all right until the hill-side began 
to get very steep, and I found the boys could 
not hold the wagon. They started to let go, and 
I shouted to them to get the stones in place. 
Their stupidity would have been laughable if 
my position had not been so serious. Instead of 
putting the stones in front of the wheels, they 
put them at the back, as they had been taught 
to do when we were getting the wagons up the 
hill, and seemed surprised when the wagon ran 
away from the stones, and before I could make 
them understand what I wanted, the boys at the 
ropes had let go. Being unable to let go myself, 



66 JOHN BOYES 

I had to hang on like grim death, while the wagon 
went tearing down the slope. One minute I 
was bumping on the road and the next I was 
in the air, with trees and other things whizzing 
past. By making the best use of my chances 
when my feet touched the ground, I managed 
to keep the wagon on the road until very near 
the bottom of the hill, when it ran over a hole 
and capsized. Luckily very little damage was 
done, but it took us the whole day to get all 
the wagons and animals down, and when we 
camped at night every one was thoroughly tired 
out with the hard day's work. 

The valley was very fertile, and made a 
splendid grazing ground for cattle, the Masai 
regularly bringing their stock there to graze at 
certain seasons of the year, and at the time of our 
arrival a large number of them were camping on 
the spot with their herds of stock. 

While out shooting one day in the valley, one 
of my porters showed me the spot where he 
said a trader named Dick, with five or six 
hundred of his men, had been murdered by the 
Masai. Dick himself had shot seventeen of his 
assailants before he was killed. I went to 
examine the ground, and found it covered with 
so large a number of skulls and bones that I was 
inclined to think that the boy had used less than 
the usual native amount of exaggeration in telling 
the story. So far as I know, no attempt has ever 



THE MASAI 57 

been made to punish the Masai for this massacre . 
Another of the porters, on my asking him how 
he had lost an eye, told me that it had been 
torn out by the Masai — formerly a common prac- 
tice of theirs when they caught any Arab or 
Swahili traders passing through their country. 
They were habitually very offensive to strangers, 
generally forcing them to camp a considerable 
distance from water, which they then proceeded 
to make them buy, their practice being to stick 
a spear into the ground, and make the trader 
pay in goods, brass and iron wire, and beads, 
as the case might be, to the height of the spear, 
before they would let him pass. 

As I have said, there were a number of Masai 
in the valley, but I had no trouble with them ; 
many of them came into camp with milk, which 
I bought from them. I found that it had a dis- 
tinctly smoky taste, due to the gourds in which 
it is carried being hung over the fire to clean 
them. 

The Masai always seemed well disposed to- 
wards me, and, as is their custom when they 
wish to be polite, paid me the compliment of 
spitting on their hands before shaking hands with 
me. The bearing of the elmorfin, or warriors, 
was certainly truculent and insulting, but I 
managed not to give offence, and even succeeded 
in trading with them for a few donkeys to replace 
those of mine which had died on the road, and 



58 JOHN BOYES 

one which had been killed by a hyena ; and 
when the animals were sufficiently rested, we 
were able to resume our journey to Lake 
Naivasha, where there is a Government station, 
without further incident of note. 

The natives along the Uganda Road were now 
beginning to get accustomed to the altered state 
of things. Caravans were going through the 
country regularly, and they had sense enough to 
understand that the white man had come to stay, 
and any attempt to oppose his coming would 
probably have serious consequences for them- 
selves, resulting in the loss of their herds and 
their best grazing-grounds. Of course they did 
not realize all this at once. The old fighting spirit 
of the warriors could not be entirely checked in 
a moment, but it was only in isolated instances 
that they dared to attack the white intruders ; 
they had always been accustomed to make war 
on the neighbouring tribes as they pleased, and 
up to recent years would raid portions of British 
East African territory, and make organized 
descents into German East Africa, To the 
present day they will carry off cattle whenever 
the opportunity offers, arguing that, as the 
original owners of all the cattle in the country, 
they are perfectly within their rights in helping 
themselves. 

Two or three days later we camped by the 
side of Lake Elmenteita, where I had a curious 




AN A.\l HILL 



THE ZEBRA AND THE LION 59 

experience with a lion. It had been my custom 
to give out rations about once a week, but my 
men had exchanged their flour with the Masai 
for milk, and we had run short of food, so I 
said I would go and shoot them some meat. xA.s 
I had practically run out of ammunition also, I 
took only two or three rounds out with me, and 
these I had fired off without result, with the 
exception of the one round which it is usual to 
keep in case of emergency. On the way back 
to camp I saw a zebra, which I thought would 
be just the thing for the men, so I started to 
crawl on hands and knees towards an ant-hill 
which was about fifty yards from the zebra, think- 
ing that from there I could get him with one 
shot. With my rifle in one hand and the cart- 
ridge in the other, I had reached the ant-hill, 
and was just looking round the corner to get 
a shot at the zebra, when I saw a lion about 
two yards off looking straight at me. He was 
evidently after the zebra too, and the meeting 
was a pretty big surprise for both of us. It is 
one thing to go out hunting a lion, but quite 
another to meet one unexpectedly round a corner 
in this way, and I was so taken aback that I 
could not find the cartridge. I was far too 
surprised to be scared, and started fumbling in 
my pockets and about my clothes to find the 
cartridge which I held in my hand ; the lion also 
seemed to think there was something curious 



60 JOHN BOYES 

about the affair, as, after looking at me for a 
few seconds, he walked quietly away, before I 
discovered the cartridge in my hand. By this 
time the zebra had also gone, and with it the 
last chance of any meat that night. 

The next day I got plenty of meat for the 
boys, and continuing to follow the caravan road, 
we moved on as far as Lake Nakuru, and from 
there to Equator Camp — so called from its being 
situated exactly on the Equator — where we 
halted. Two days later we reached the Ravine, 
where I handed over my loads at the Govern- 
ment Fort. There had been a mutiny of native 
troops and the Ravine was the only station which 
had not been taken over by the mutineers. I 
ought really to have gone on up to Uganda, but 
the rains were on, and it was very difficult to 
get through with the wagons, and as I was feeling 
very ill, I was relieved from going through to 
my proper destination. 

At Ravine Fort I met Major Smith, after whom 
Fort Smith was named, and found him a very 
interesting man. He was an ex-Life Guardsman, 
and had had a very interesting career in the early 
days of British East Africa, and had lost one 
hand in the course of his adventures. I also met 
Martin, whom I have already mentioned in the 
extract from Sir Gerald Portal's book with refer- 
ence to the Kikuyu. 

My partner, Gibbons, had gone on to Uganda, 



DESERTED IN THE WILDS 61 

where he would deliver the other loads, being 
able to get through more easily with porters than 
I with wagons, so I thought that my best plan 
would be to return to railhead — which would 
be about three hundred miles back from the 
Ravine — and make arrangements about the loads 
we had left behind, and also secure more trans- 
port. 

I had very little food for my men on the 
return journey, and was unable to buy any at the 
Ravine, as their supply had run short through 
trouble with the Nandi natives. So we started 
out with a very poor prospect in front of us, and 
I myself was really not well enough to do any- 
thing. The men, too, not having been accus- 
tomed to the donkey wagons, were dissatisfied 
with the class of work they had been doing for 
me, and all the flour having given out, they were 
evidently anxious to get away. I was not much 
surprised, therefore, when, having turned in early 
one night, feeling far from well, I woke the 
next morning to find that every one of my men 
had deserted. This was at Equator Camp. 

No one who has not experienced it can realize 
the feeling of being left absolutely alone in the 
wilds, with everything on your hands. Certainly 
I did not find it a pleasant one, and the fact that 
I was ill did not lighten my troubles. I made 
up my mind not to be beaten, however, and set 
myself to make the best of a bad job. Thinking 



62 JOHN BOYES 

that if I could overtake the men I might induce 
some of them to return, I went out for some 
distance, but not seeing anything of them, re- 
turned to the lonely camp. Before setting out 
after the men I had untied all the donkeys, and 
at night I had no difficulty in finding them again, 
and having tied them up as usual, I made a big 
fire round them and settled down to rest as well 
as I could. I slept through the night without 
being disturbed, and turned out early in the 
morning, having thought out the previous night 
what I should do. Not wishing to abandon the 
wagons, I tied them together, one behind the 
other, and put all the donkeys in front, inspanned 
on the leading wagon. Having fixed the caravan 
up like this I started off, and an awful time I had 
of it. Sometimes the road would turn, and then 
the job was to get the wagons round the bend 
without capsizing — which I could not always do, 
and by the time I had righted the wagons the 
donkeys would be all mixed up. I started off 
at six in the morning, and travelled until three 
o'clock in the afternoon, by which time I had 
reached the Njora River, where I halted, and 
managed to shoot a buck and had a good meal, 
which I thoroughly enjoyed, having been all day 
without food. Tying up the donkeys, I turned 
in and had a well-earned rest. 

Feeling better for this, I started off early the 
next morning, and soon came across a solitary 



1 RETURN TO RAILHEAD 63 

nigger, whom I commandeered. He was a stray 
porter, who had evidently deserted from some 
caravan, and was nearly starving. I gave him 
some meat, which he seemed uncommonly glad 
to get, and we went on together. We had a 
pretty long trek that day, and the next morning 
we started off again as soon as it was light for 
another long march, as it was thirty miles to 
the next camp where we could get water, and 
what with the delay caused by wagons capsizing, 
and trouble with the donkeys, it was ten o'clock 
at night before I got in. I arrived at my halting- 
place alone, my native follower having slipped 
quietly away into the darkness, and I never saw 
him again. I had brought some water with me 
in a bucket, but the jolting of the wagon had 
upset it, and having had no food all day, and 
suffering from the want of water, I was absolutely 
dead beat. The first thing I did was to outspan 
the donkeys and let them have a feed ; then I 
took a bucket and went to look for water. The 
water-hole was about a mile away, and as it 
was pitch dark I had no easy job to find it. 
However, I succeeded at last, and just as I got 
there I was startled by something jumping up and 
brushing right past me. I knew from the sharp 
growl that it must have been a lion which I had 
disturbed when drinking. I was too done up 
to pay much attention to it, and having satisfied 
my thirst, I half-filled my bucket with water 



64 JOHN BOYES 

and made my way back to camp, where I had 
some trouble to find enough wood to make a fire. 
Eventually I managed to get one going and 
turned in. Before turning in I had noticed a 
fire at some little distance, which I put down 
to natives, and when I turned out in the morning, 
after having satisfied myself that the donkeys 
had not been interfered with by lions, I started 
off in the direction in which I had seen the 
fire in the hope of being able to get some help. 
The camp proved to be that of some East Indians, 
who were taking food to a party of railway sur- 
veyors who were out ahead, and they supplied me 
with some rice and let me have a couple of boys, 
and with this assistance I got started again, and 
managing to pick up a few boys here and there, 
I finally reached railhead, after a tiresome and 
worrying journey. 

My stay here was short, and I was soon on 
the road again, this time taking up food for the 
troops engaged in quelling the mutiny up in 
Uganda. Owing to the religious prejudices of 
the sepoys, all this food had to be brought from 
India, and transported from the coast by carriers, 
at a cost of two rupees per pound weight, so 
that it must have cost the Government at least 
I OS. per day to keep a private soldier in food 
alone, while, by comparison, the white officers 
were costing practically nothing, as they were 
able to live almost entirely on the country itself. 



MY SECOND TRIP 65 

My own experience convinces me that Indian 
troops are practically useless in i\frica, owing 
to their not being able to live on the country, 
and I hold the same opinion with regard to the 
coolies working on the Uganda Railway, which I 
consider could have been built much more 
cheaply with white labour. 

With the experience obtained on the previous 
trip, I had organized my safari for the second trip 
on different lines, being, among other things, 
careful to select my men from different tribes. 
When travelling in Africa, I have found it ad- 
visable never to get all the men from one tribe, 
as when the tribes are mixed they are less likely 
to mutiny or desert, or cause trouble in other 
ways. I also took care to have my tent with me 
on this trip, and when the caravan was ready to 
start I had, in addition to the donkey-wagons, 
about 1 20 native porters. 

I might say here that the porters of East 
Africa, taking them all round, are a happy, care- 
less lot. They will go through the greatest hard- 
ships on a journey, and on their return at once 
forget all their troubles in the pleasure of spend- 
ing their wages as quickly as possible. They are 
chiefly Swahili, with a mixture of a few other 
tribes, such as the Wakamba. The Masai, how- 
ever, even to this day, will not lower themselves 
to carry loads. 

I had by this time learned a little of the 



66 JOHN BOYES 

language, and had hopes that by the time I 
returned Gibbons would have got back, and we 
should be able to start on the journey we had 
originally planned. News travels quickly in 
Africa — indeed, with such remarkable speed as 
to be mysterious to the European mind — and I 
had heard that Gibbons was still up in Uganda, 
and later I received a letter to say that he 
was ill. 

This question of the rapid transmission of news 
among the native races, both in Africa and India, 
has for a long time been a favourite subject for 
discussion and argument among white men who 
have had much to do with the native races. 
The well-known instances of the disaster to Hicks 
Pasha's force and the fall of Khartoum being 
known in the bazaars of Cairo long before any 
official intimation was received by the Govern- 
ment are cases in point. Personally^ after fifteen 
years spent in close association with natives in 
Africa, I have absolutely no belief in the theory 
of any superhuman agency being employed. In 
the first place, there is always the fact that much 
of this wonderfully transmitted news is false, 
which discounts the value of such news generally 
and discredits its value though it turns out after- 
wards to be true. The v/hite man who has 
sufficient experience of the nigger and his ways 
can generally winnow the grain of truth from the 
bushel of fiction with which it is wrapped about ; 



TRANSMISSION OF NEWS 67 

while in the next place it must be borne in mind 
that the natives nearly all have recognized 
methods of passing news quickly from one point 
to another, of which I may mention a few 

The Kikuyu shouts his news from hill to hill, 
while the Masai runner thinks no more of carry- 
ing a message sixty miles in a day than we should 
of a three-mile stroll : the Congolese have a 
system of whistle signals, by which they can 
convey messages from one end of a district to 
the other in a very short time ; while the West 
African native tells his news from village to 
village by means of a sort of Morse code, tapped 
out on drums. The Matabele uses a system of 
signalling by long and short obscurations of a 
fire, by means of a skin, or in daytime by long 
or short puffs of smoke regulated by the same 
means ; while the Red Indian of North America 
was in the habit of using a similar method of 
communication. By these various methods it is 
quite possible to convey news enormous distances 
in a remarkably short space of time, and I think 
that they are quite sufBcient to account for the 
many remarkable stories told of this sort of thing, 
without calling in the theory of any unknown 
agency at all. 

I accomplished the trip with the food for the 
soldiers without any mishap, and began the return 
journey to railhead, travelling light, with nothing 
on the wagons ; and having by this time become 



68 JOHN BOYES 

thoroughly used to the work, and knowing better 
how to handle the men, things went much more 
smoothly than on the previous trip. 

The nights being cooler, and much more 
pleasant for travelling, we took advantage of 
the moonlight for our treks, resting during the 
daytime so that the donkeys could graze. There 
was something very fascinating about this moon- 
light travelling in the clear night air, with the 
stillness only broken by the sound of the wagon 
wheels and the patter of the donkeys' hoofs, 
whilst the long procession of black porters looked 
ghostly in the semi -darkness. Occasionally the 
surrounding silence would be broken by the 
sound of some wild animal disturbed by our ap- 
proach, then all was quiet again. 

As we were travelling light, it was not 
necessary to have all the donkeys inspanned in 
the wagons, and the spare animals were allowed 
to run loose alongside, stopping occasionally as 
they went along to crop a few mouthfuls of grass, 
then trotting on again to join the caravan. I 
was lying down on one of the wagons, half 
dozing, one night, when I was roused by the 
donkeys suddenly increasing their pace, and 
looking up, I saw a lion stealthily approaching 
one of the donkeys running loose by the road- 
side. I immediately jumped off the wagon and 
called to the men, but by this time the donkeys 
were all bolting with fright, and it was only 



1 KILL A LION 69 

with a good deal of difficulty that the wagons 
were stopped. By now the lion I had first seen 
was nowhere in sight, but another, probably his, 
mate, was approaching the donkeys from another 
direction. I could see him coming leisurely along, 
evidently intent on a feed, and I prepared to receive 
him. I had still the same old gun, and having 
only a few cartridges, I waited for the animal to 
approach near, so as to become as good a target 
as possible. The brute had, so far, been facing 
me, and as moonlight is deceptive, to get a good 
shot I allowed him to come as close as I thought 
advisable. Just as I was going to fire he stopped, 
apparently uncertain what to make of the situa- 
tion, and as I hesitated for a moment he turned 
slightly, and I fired immediately, and hit him 
in the shoulder. With a savage growl, he gave 
a jump into the air, and then began to tear up 
the ground in a great rage. The sound of the 
report and the growls of the lion again caused 
the donkeys to bolt, which spoiled my aim for 
the second shot. I could tell that I had wounded 
him severely, and thought that I would go into 
camp, as I had intended, a little farther on, and 
then return when daylight came and find out 
whether I had really killed him. It was about 
three o'clock when we camped, and we remained 
quiet for about two and a half hours waiting until 
it was sufficiently light to go out again to look 
for him. Going back to the spot where the en* 



70 JOHN BOYES 

counter had taken place, we found a large 
quantity of blood, which showed that I had 
wounded him severely, but the lion was not to 
be seen. After following the blood spoor for 
about a mile I saw the animal crouching in the 
scrub. We had been going very cautiously, and 
had got within about twenty yards of him, before 
we were made aware of his presence by a deep 
growl. Kneeling down and taking careful aim, 
I fired two or three shots, which I knew must 
have hit him by the thud of the bullet. Past ex- 
perience had taught me not to approach too 
closely until certain that the brute was dead, 
as they are often most dangerous when you least 
expect it, so we waited some time before ap- 
proaching the body, when we found that the last 
shots had really settled him. The boys skinned 
the carcass, and a great scramble ensued for the 
fat, which is greatly valued for certain healing 
.properties it is supposed to possess. I know 
myself that it is a grand thing for rheumatism. 
The skin was brought back to the camp, at Lake 
Elmenteita, in triumph. This camp was known 
to the natives by the name of Camp Mabrook, 
from the fact that a big Arab trader named 
Mabrook, with all his safari, was murdered there 
while on his way up to Uganda. 

My present safari I had equipped with the 
proceeds of my first trip to the Ravine, and as 
both trips had been successful, I was doing well. 



A RICE CARAVAN 71 

I had also heard from Gibbons that he was not 
coming back, and so the donkeys and wagons fell 
to me, as my share of the partnership. 

My next contract was to carry rice for the 
porters accompanying the railway surveyors 
going from railhead up the Molo River, the 
distance being about the same as to the Ravine, 
but the road in this case branched off at Nakuru, 
going up more directly towards the Lake 
Victoria Nyanza. 

As I was getting 30 rupees a load for this trans- 
port, and carrying 100 loads, I stood to make 
£200 on the journey, my expenses not bein^g 
more than £50 for the trip. But it so happened 
that I was rather unlucky. Everything went well 
until I branched off at Nakuru, where I had to 
leave the caravan road and strike ofT across 
country. Here the road was so difficult for the 
wagons that I could only make a few miles each 
day. To add to our troubles, water was very 
scarce, and when we had travelled two days 
without finding any, both donkeys and men were 
exhausted, and I began to feel doubtful of 
getting through. 

I had with me a couple of Masai who knew 
the country, and they assured me that we should 
find water not far away, but as we did not 
come to it as soon as they had led me to expect, 
I outspanned, and taking my rifle and one of the 
boys, I set ofi to find it. 



72 



JOHN BOYES 



In Africa one learns to judge from the forma- 
tion of the country and the nature and state of 
the vegetation where one might expect to find 
water^ and I was very successful in locating it, 
my judgment often proving right when the guides 
assured me that there was no water near. On 
this occasion it was nearly dark when we came 
to a swamp, and being terribly thirsty, we at once 
started drinking the dirty water, without stopping 
to look any farther, and, to our great disgust, 
afterwards found that there was a beautiful 
stream of running water only a few yards from 
where we had been drinking, which made us 
repent of our haste to quench our thirst. People 
who live in the civilized parts of the world can 
never really appreciate the true value of water. 
To the traveller in Africa it is the one thing he 
learns to prize above all others, and it is not 
surprising, therefore, to find the natives in some 
parts worshipping it as their god, since they 
know of no higher blessing. 

Taking some of the water from the stream 
with us, we returned to camp and gave all the 
men a good drink, and early next morning I 
left the wagons, and took all the donkeys to have 
a good drink and a good feed as well, as there 
was plenty of good grazing in the neighbourhood 
of the stream. The animals appeared to be 
thoroughly knocked up, and far from well, which 
I put down to their having been so long without 



"DEAD DONKEY CAMP" 73 

water, though I was by no means sure that they 
had not been tampered with by the Masai drivers. 
The Masai are blood drinkers, and when they have 
a chance will make an incision in the jugular 
vein of an animal and thus drink its blood, and 
I had little doubt that this was what they had 
been doing to my donkeys while I was away 
looking for the water. 

I brought up the wagons, and camped by the 
stream throughout the next day, as I saw that 
there was a good crossing over the stream, and 
the country was simply full of game. What 
struck me as most remarkable here was the tame- 
ness of the zebra, who were mixed up among 
my donkeys, all quietly grazing together near the 
wagons . 

The condition of the donkeys began to get 
worse, and one by one they began to fall sick 
and die. Then the boys began to desert, as 
is the habit of the nigger when things begin to 
go wrong, and each day saw me with one donkey 
and one boy less. 

It was part of my contract that the loads 
should be delivered by a certain time, otherwise 
I had to pay a heavy penalty — about two rupees 
a load for every twenty-four hours after the time 
fixed — so, as I had only some twenty-five miles 
farther to go, I set to work to collect the loads, 
intending to complete the rest of the journey 
without the wagons, by taking the rice on the 



74 JOHN BOYES 

donkeys' backs. By doing this I managed to 
get the journey completed and the loads 
delivered only a day or so after the proper time, 
but when I had finished the journey I found 
myself with just one donkey and three boys left ! 

It was impossible to take the wagons back 
without donkeys, so, taking the lid off one of the 
food boxes, I painted on it with wagon grease 
'* Dead Donkey Camp," and having stuck this 
up I left the wagons, and never saw them again, 
while with my three boys and my sole remaining 
donkey I started to trek back to Naivasha. 

On the way back I met one or two parties 
surveying, who all complained of the difficulty of 
getting food, and said that their people were 
more or less starving. Rice was very difficult to 
get, as it had to be shipped to Mombasa and 
then brought up-country, while the cost of trans- 
port, as I have pointed out, was very heavy, 
and no food was to be got from the Nandi 
country, which lay between us and the Lake 
Victoria Nyanza. 

Everybody knew that the Kikuyu country 
was full of food, but any parties which had gone 
out to buy supplies there had always been killed 
by the natives : in one instance a party had been 
attacked within about thirty miles of the Govern- 
ment station at Fort Smith, and nearly every man 
killed. 

Food was wanted, I found, for the Govern- 



AT NAIVASHA 75 

ment stations on the caravan road, as well as 
for the surveying parties on the line of the 
Uganda Railway, and as it was worth a rupee a 
pound, I thought I saw a good chance of making 
some money by trying my luck in the Kikuyu 
country. 

Although I had lost all my wagons, I had 
not lost my desire for further adventure, and 
the opportunity of getting away into some 
hitherto unexplored part of the country, where 
there was a prospect of getting the adventures I 
wanted, together with a chance of making enough 
money to repair my misfortunes, seemed too 
good to be lost. 

Arriving at Naivasha, I made a few inquiries, 
and found that I could get into the Kikuyu 
country by going north, crossing the Kinangop 
Plain, through the Masai country, and over the 
Aberdare Range — the highest peak of which is 
about 12,000 feet. 

I thought that this would be the best point 
at which to enter the country, as, for one thing, 
it was the nearest to Naivasha, and if I was 
lucky enough to get the food, it would be easier 
to get it to the place where it was most needed. 



CHAPTER IV 

Government official tries to prevent me going into the 
Kikiiyu country — Give the official the slip — My first ac- 
quaintance with the Kikuyu — Meet Karnri, the Kikuyu 
chief — Hospitable reception — Kikuyu village attacked be- 
cause of my presence in it — I help to beat off the attack — 
Successful trading — Build a house in the Kikuyu village — 
Native theory as to the origin of the Kikuyu race — I help 
defend my Kikuyu friends from hostile raids, and beat off 
the enemy — Benefit of my conciliatory counsels — Pigasani 
and blood brotherhood 

HAVING made up my mind to go into the 
Kikuyu country, I set about preparing my 
safari, for which I decided to take with me 
only seven boys, natives who knew the language, 
to act as porters and carry the goods I was taking 
with me for trading with the Kikuyu. Having 
persuaded them that it would be all right, I 
armed myself with a rifle and fifty rounds of 
ammunition, and set out to explore the unknown. 
When the official in charge of the station 
found that I had really started, he sent out an 
escort, under Sergeant Miles, to bring me back, 
and, of course, I had to go. When I got back 
to Naivasha, he asked me if I was trying to 



OFFICIAL OPPOSITION 77 

commit suicide. He said he dare not let me go, 
as I was certain to get killed, and he would 
then be held responsible for allowing me to 
leave his district. I told him that I would give 
him a written statement that I was going entirely 
on my own responsibility, and if I got killed 
it would not matter to him. His reply was that 
it was incumbent upon him not to allow me to 
leave his district. When I asked how far his 
district extended, he said to the Kedong Valley, 
about twenty miles from Naivasha. 

I have before stated that the Government 
officials were strongly opposed to white men 
coming into the country, and Captain Gorges, 
who was in command at Naivasha, was only 
carrying out the orders of his superiors in trying 
to stop me. At this time there were only about 
ten white men who were independent traders and 
hunters in the whole of what are now the East 
African and Uganda Protectorates, besides the 
Government officials and missionaries — practi- 
cally the whole of the latter class being up in 
Uganda. We were told plainly that we were not 
wanted, and were not even allowed to have guns 
and ammunition with which to protect ourselves ; 
while the Arab and Swahili traders were allowed 
to overrun the country as they pleased, carrying 
and purchasing arms and ammunition as freely 
as they liked. This state of affairs may have 
been due to there being no organized administra- 



78 JOHN BOYES 

tion in the country, off the caravan road ; but 
it is peculiarly consistent with the Downing Street 
policy which prevails pretty well throughout our 
African dependencies, and which seems to be 
based on the principle that, in the eyes of 
Colonial Office officials, a native is more to be 
considered than any three white men. 

To get beyond the jurisdiction of the official at 
Naivasha I went off to the Kedong Valley, which 
forms a portion of the great " rift " or depres- 
sion which seems to divide the continent of 
Africa east from west into two portions, and 
which in those days was the boundary between 
British East Africa and Uganda. Naturally, I 
did not advertise my intention, but my deter- 
mination was, as soon as I got out of his district, 
to start for the Kikuyu country, and by taking 
this step I avoided all further opposition and 
duly set out for my Land of Promise. 

It was before the end of the year 1898 that, 
striking camp one morning, I entered the 
Kinangop Plain, a favourite grazing-ground of 
the Masai. The plain is a fine stretch of open 
country, rising in a gradual slope from the 
caravan road for about one thousand feet or more 
to the commencement of the bamboo forest, » 
which is known to the natives by the name of 

^ The bamboo forests fringe the higher slopes of most of 
the mountains of East Africa, between the grass Hne and the 
windswept heights. 



ELEPHANT TRACKS 79 

Menzini, " the place of bamboos/' Owing to 
the elevation of this plain, rains are more fre- 
quent here, and when the lower lands are dry and 
parched, rich pasturage is to be found on the 
plain, while the ground is generally moist, and, 
on account of the lower temperature, its surface 
is often covered with a white rime in the morn- 
ings, and the air is cool and refreshing . The herds 
of sheep and cattle browsing suggest a country 
scene, such as is common in the Old Country. 

As I was accompanied by two Masai boys, I 
met with no opposition from the warriors of that 
tribe camped on the plain to look after the safety 
of the herds ; and during the first day's march 
we travelled about thirty miles, camping that 
night about eight thousand feet up the mountain- 
side, where we found the air very cold. Game 
was everywhere in abundance, and I also noticed 
a few elephant tracks ; so the next morning we 
had a look round, and followed the elephant 
tracks, which we found went through the forest 
and over the mountain. We had great diffi- 
culty in forcing our way through the trackless 
bamboo forest. The bamboos grow as thick as 
wheat in a wheatfield, and even where the 
elephants had forced a way the trees they had 
broken were lying across their path. Bordering 
on the forest were steep precipices, the depth 
of which was so great that objects in the valley 
below could only be very indistinctly seen. That 



80 JOHN BOYES 

night we ascended to a height of between eleven 
thousand and twelve thousand feet, and passing 
over the crest of the mountain, began the descent 
of the other side. Making a long day's trek, it 
was almost dark when we again camped for the 
night, still in the bamboo forest which covers 
the mountain-side. 

So far we had met none of the Kikuyu people, 
and, continuing our march, we arrived, on the 
third day, in sight of the first native village. 
I had heard some one cutting wood in the forest 
off our road, and the news of our coming had 
spread. At the first sight of us the natives had 
started running away, but we soon heard the 
native war-cry being taken up from hill to hill 
round about, and could catch occasional glimpses 
of the natives themselves as they gathered in 
force towards the village. They were certainly 
a wild -looking lot, with their bodies smeared all 
over with grease and red clay, or, in some cases, 
a kind of whitewash, in which patterns were 
drawn according to the fancy of each individual, 
while fastened to the leg was a rattle, with an 
iron ball inside, which, as they moved about, 
made a noise very much like a railway train. 
Many of them wore wonderful head-dresses, 
made of the skin of the colobus monkey, and 
all were armed with spears and shields. These 
details I managed to notice as we were moving 
towards them. 




KIKUVU WARRIOR 



: 



Li 



I MEET KARURI 81 

In a short time quite five hundred warriors, 
fully armed, were drawn up outside the village, 
and, getting within speaking distance, I told my 
Masai interpreter to tell them that I had come 
to see the chief of the district. 

Never having seen a white man before, they 
regarded me with something like awe, being 
evidently puzzled at my appearance, and were 
at a loss how to act. The fact that I had 
ventured to come there alone was, in itself, quite 
enough to surprise and astonish them, and, noting 
the impression I had made, I knew that if T 
was to succeed with them I must keep up an 
attitude of fearlessness. 

After my interpreter had spoken, a guide came 
forward to conduct me to the chief, whose name 
was Karuri. Accompanying the guide to the 
chief's kraal, I was met by Karuri, who 
demanded to know what I wanted. 

This important personage, who to-day collects 
the hut tax for the British Administration, would 
hardly be recognized as the savage warrior chief 
who now stepped forward to meet the first white 
man he had ever seen in his own country (as 
before explained, others had thought it more pru- 
dent to go round the outskirts). It was a strange 
meeting, and one which was to have great con- 
sequences for both of us. As time went on 
Karuri was to become my friend and right-hand 
supporter, while I, in turn, was to have an influ- 



82 JOHN BOYES 

ence over him and his people which was to raise 
him to the position of a great chief and myself 
to supreme power in the country— a virtual King 
of the Kikuyu. 

Through my interpreter, I explained as fully 
as possible my mission to his country, in answer 
to his inquiry. I said that I had come to see 
his country and was anxious to trade with him 
and to buy food. He then questioned me as 
to the force I had brought with me ; to which 
I replied that, as my mission was a peaceable 
one, I had left most of my guns in the forest 
to avoid trouble, but that if he harmed me, my 
people would come and make war on him. This 
pardonable untruth seemed to make the desired 
impression on him, and he allowed me to give 
him a present of cloth, which he accepted with 
every appearance of pleasure. After this his 
manner became more friendly, and when I signi- 
fied my intention of making a long stay in his 
country he readily agreed that his men should 
build a hut for me. 

His people still regarded me suspiciously, but 
obeyed my orders when I told them to fetch 
wood, and set about the building of the hut, 
under my instructions. They also brought me 
a sheep and some flour and sweet potatoes, and, 
as I had by this time got a fire going, I had 
a good meal cooked for myself and my men, the 
Kikuyu all the time looking on with much interest. 



THE KIKUYU COUNTRY 83 

In the meanwhile I had been looking round 
and taking stock of the neighbourhood, and a 
wilder scene it would be hard to imagine. The 
Kikuyu country is a succession of small hills, 
separated by deep valleys, lined with water- 
courses fed from the higher country, while the 
hills are beautifully wooded, except where the 
trees have been cleared away to get patches of 
ground for the cultivation of crops. 

The village, which was situated on the high 
ground in a large clearing in the forest, con- 
sisted of a cluster of round huts, surrounded 
by a high thorn fence, or boma, high enough 
and thick enough to make any attempt at forcing 
an entrance by a force unprovided with good 
axes a matter of great difficulty. The entrance 
through the boma was by means of a narrow 
tunnel, made of large slabs of wood, sunk deeply 
in the ground, with the tops interlocking at such 
an angle that any one wishing to enter had to 
crawl through it on hands and knees. The walls 
of the huts were made of huge slabs of wood, 
fashioned out of large trees by the simple process 
of cutting portions off the trunk until it was 
reduced to the required thickness. These slabs 
were placed upright in the ground, close together, 
in the form of a circle, and a thatched roof built 
up over them. By the side of the huts, which 
were built without any attempt at regularity, were 
smaller structures, with basket floors and grass 



84 JOHN BOYES 

roofs, which I found were used as granaries, or 
larders, in which to store the food. 

The people who gathered round us while the 
meal was being got ready were a fierce -looking 
crowd, their bodies being disfigured with paint 
and hung about with rough ornaments. Every 
one seemed to be discussing me, and, by the 
looks cast in my direction, debating whether, 
after all, they should not kill me. Not knowing 
what might happen, I kept my rifle near me 
and my bandolier in readiness in case of a sudden 
attack. After a time they became more inquisi- 
tive, and began to examine my clothes, which 
were something quite new to them, as they had 
never seen anything of the sort before. The 
boots puzzled them the most, as they appeared 
to think they were actually part of my feet, which 
they seemed to think very curiously constructed. 
Some of them pushed their curiosity to the extent 
of wanting to examine my rifle, but this I refused 
to let go out of my hand. 

My interpreter said that they thought I was 
very foolish to come among them with only one 
rifle, so I told him to tell them that this gun 
was different from any that they had ever seen 
before and far more effective than those carried 
by Arab and Swahili traders. This gun, I ex- 
plained, could kill six men with one shot, and 
I told them that I would show them what it 
would do by firing at a tree. It happened to 



VILLAGE ATTACKED 86 

be the old Martini-Metford, so, putting in a solid 
cartridge, I chose a tree that I knew the bullet 
would go through and tired. They immediately 
rushed in a body to see what damage had been 
done, and when they found the hole where the 
bullet had gone in and come out the other side 
they were both considerably surprised and im- 
pressed. I assured them that that was nothing ; 
if they would examine the side of the mountain 
beyond they would find that the bullet had gone 
right through that as well ! I knew that only 
sheer bluff could bring me safely out of the 
position in which I had voluntarily placed myself, 
and so made the best use of every opportunity 
that arose of impressing them. 

Turning into my hut, I kept awake practically 
all night, fearing that some treachery might be 
attempted, but fell asleep at last, to be awakened 
early in the morning by an awful row of war- 
horns and men shouting and running about in 
every direction. By the time I had rubbed the 
sleep out of my eyes I saw a crowd of very 
excited natives rushing in a body towards my 
hut, and fully expected that I was in for a tough 
fight. However, far from intending to attack 
me, they had come to implore my help for them- 
selves. It seemed that though Karuri, in his 
younger days, had been a powerful chief, his 
influence had waned as he grew older, and the 
tribe being split up into clans, something like the 



86 JOHN BOYES 

Highlanders in the old days, in the absence of 
a chief sufficiently strong to keep the various 
sections in order, they were continually in- 
dulging in petty wars among themselves. One 
of the neighbouring clans had heard of my 
arrival, and, objecting to the presence of any 
white man in the country, had promptly attacked 
Karuri's village, with the object of disposing 
of me once for all, and a big fight, in which a 
number of people had already been killed, was 
then in progress, while, on looking out of my 
hut, I saw that a portion of the village was in 
flames . 

My duty was clear. These people had brought 
the trouble on themselves by befriending me, and 
the least I could do was to give them such help 
as I could. Besides, I wished to remain in the 
country, and if these people were worsted— even 
if I escaped with my life, which v/as very un- 
likely— I should have to get out and stay out, 
for some considerable time, at any rate. It 
did not take me long to make up my mind, and, 
seizing my rifle, I made for the scene of the 
fight, accompanied by a crowd of yelling savages, 
delighted at my decision. When I arrived the 
row was at its height and the sight of the hand- 
to-hand conflict among the warriors, surrounded 
by the burning huts, was a stirring one. Seeing 
the reinforcements, headed by myself, coming 
up, the attackers began to waver, and when I 



SUCCESS IN BATTLE 87 

had fired a few shots with effect, finally turned 
tail and bolted. After pursuing them for some 
distance, to make sure that they were completely 
scattered, the triumphant warriors returned to 
the village, and made quite a hero of me, being 
convinced that their victory was entirely due to 
my help. This incident was of the greatest value 
to me, as it fully established my reputation as 
a useful member of the community, and they 
became very friendly. I learned that they had 
had a lot of trouble with this particular clan, 
who had frequently raided them, killing many of 
their men, and carrying off their cattle, and 
sometimes their women. 

After this Karuri came to ask me if I would 
stop in his country, and I told him I would think 
about it. I said that I had other work to do, 
but that if he would sell me flour and other 
foodstuffs I would come back to him. I told 
him that the flour was for friends of mine, who 
were coming along the caravan road. He said 
that he did not want any more white people in 
the country. I could stop as long as I liked 
myself, and his people would be my friends, 
but they did not mean to have any strangers. 
I explained that though my friends were coming 
along the caravan road they had no intention or 
desire to enter the country. This explanation 
seemed to satisfy them, and I told them that I 
would not decide at once about staying in the 



88 JOHN BOYES 

country, but that when I had taken the flour 
to my friends I would come back and talk matters 
over with them. They then asked what I had 
to give in exchange for the flour, and I produced 
a bottle of iodoform, some of which I had used 
on their wounds after the fight with good effect. 
They thought it was a great medicine, and all 
wanted some, and in exchange for a small 
quantity, wrapped in paper, would give from ten 
to twenty pounds of flour. 

They looked upon me as a great medicine 
man, and members of the tribe came to me daily 
to be cured of various complaints during the 
fortnight I stayed with them while the food 
I wanted was being collected and brought in. 
When it was all in I found that I had about 
two hundred loads, and the trouble then was to 
find porters to carry it out of the country ; but 
by dint of persuasion I finally succeeded in im- 
pressing a number of the people into my service, 
and started off with my loads. 

On account of my little difference with Captain 
Gorges I decided not to go to Naivasha, but 
to carry my loads down towards the Kedong. 
As the route to the Kedong Valley led through 
the Masai country, my men would not go right 
through with it, so I set them to build a hut on 
the caravan road, where I established a store 
for the flour, and within a few days I sold the 
lot to the railway surveyors and caravans for 



"THE FIRE STICK ' 89 

about thirty rupees a load, which made me highly 
satisfied with the result of my first venture among 
the Kikuyu. It was on this journey that I first 
saw the native method of starting a fire by means 
of the " fire-stick," though subsequently I found 
it very useful on many occasions when, owing 
to the dampness during the rainy season, my 
matches would not light satisfactorily. The fire- 
stick itself is a piece of hard wood, about eighteen 
inches in length, of the thickness of a lead pencil 
and pointed, and is carried in the quiver with the 
arrows . The method of using it differs somewhat 
from that practised by certain tribes who are 
accustomed to use a sort of mandril in con- 
nexion with it. The Kikuyu always carry, as 
well as the fire-stick, a piece of wood of a 
softer kind, about a foot long and two or three 
inches wide, which, when they wish to make a 
fire, they place between their feet, holding it 
in position with their toes. The pointed fire- 
stick is inserted into a hole in the soft wood and 
rapidly revolved between the flat of their two 
hands until the dust worn off the softer wood 
by the friction begins to glow. This burning 
dust is then quickly tossed into the middle of a 
little bundle of dry bark fibre, always carried 
by the owner of the drill. The little bundle is 
then taken between the hands and gently blown 
up until it shows signs of blazing, when it is 
placed in the middle of a little heap of dried 



90 JOHN BOYES 

twigs and leaves which has been prepared in 
readiness. A little careful manipulation soon 
produces a blaze. 

I was also able to purchase a large quantity of 
trade goods, beads, cloth, &c., from Arab traders 
going up to Uganda, and sent to Karuri for more 
natives to carry my purchases back to Kikuyu, 
where, on my return, I paid them for their 
services in cloth, which seemed to make them 
still more anxious for me to remain among them. 

Having finally announced my decision to stay 
in the Kikuyu country, at any rate for a time, 
I selected a site for a house, and got them to 
help me with the building. I found that they 
had a sort of native axe, somewhat similar to 
those in use in the South Sea Islands, made 
with a very small head, which is fixed to the 
club which forms the haft by a spike projecting 
from the back, which is driven through the haft 
and projects for two or three inches at the back— 
and with these and the swords, with which every 
man is armed, they cut down trees from the 
forest, and a house in the European style was 
built for me. 

In connexion with these swords I may men- 
tion a peculiar custom which illustrates the 
treacherous nature of these people. They in- 
variably wear the sword on the right side, as 
when worn in that position it is much easier to 
make a treacherous attack on an opponent while 



I BUILD A HOUSE 91 

approaching apparently with the friendly inten- 
tion of shaking hands ! 

Their method of tree -cutting was a somewhat 
dangerous one, as they simply cut into the tree 
near the ground, without any regard to the direc- 
tion in which it was likely to fall, so that serious 
injuries during tree -felling operations were by 
no means uncommon. The Kikuyu never use 
nails, but by dint of careful explanation, I was 
able to get the native blacksmiths to make me a 
very efficient substitute. i The natives were very 
much interested in the building operations, and 
when the house was finished I used to invite the 
chief and his headmen to visit me there. The 
house, which was built in the bungalow style, 
common to European houses in the tropics, 
looked very well, and though the windows were, 
of course, unglazed, I had shutters made, with 
which I could close them at night. 

In the meanwhile I had been getting better 
acquainted with the country, and found that the 
.people lived in a constant state of civil war. 
Every day men came to me to have their wounds 
dressed, and I heard of many being killed. As 
I have already said, the country was very moun- 
tainous, and each hill had its own chief, who 
lived in a state of continual warfare with his 
neighbours. No man was safe in travelling about 

^ I have read that the use of nails was practically unknown 
in England until the latter half of the eighteenth century. 



92 JOHN BOYES 

the country, except on certain days when a sort 
of general market was held, during the con- 
tinuance of which a truce seemed to exist, hos- 
tilities being resumed again as soon as it was 
over. Karuri used to visit me nearly every day, 
and from him I learned all about the country. 
Even he seemed afraid to go far from his own 
village, and, as this state of affairs was very bad 
for my plans of trading, I determined to do what 
I could towards reducing the country to some- 
thing like order. 

I gathered, from conversations with Kauri and 
the older men of the village, that at one time 
the country was believed to have been covered 
with a vast forest, inhabited by a race of pigmies, 
whom they called Mas watch -wanya. These 
people did not cultivate the land, but lived by 
hunting, and the legend said that the wife of a 
Masai, who was very badly treated by her 
husband, was in the habit of taking refuge in 
the forest, with her little boy, from his cruelty. 
At first she used merely to stay in the forest for 
a time, and then return to her husband again ; 
but at last his treatment of her became so bad 
that she left him altogether, and took refuge 
with the pigmies, and it was believed thai: the 
Kikuyu race were the descendants of the off- 
spring of this woman. There is certainly a good 
deal of evidence to support the tradition, as they 
undoubtedly have Masai blood, use the same kind 



MY LIFE THREATENED 93 

of weapons and shield, and in each case worship 
a god they call Ngai. I have also heard them 
singing Masai war-songs when going out to 
fight, and in a very large number of instances 
the physical resemblance between the two races 
is very strong. 

I stayed some weeks with them this time, and 
found that there was a good deal of fighting 
going on, and that many of the friendly natives 
were being killed through the hostility to me of 
the neighbouring chiefs and their people. They 
strongly resented my intrusion into the country, 
and any of the natives known to be friendly 
towards me, or wearing any of the cloth I had 
given them, were immediately marked down for 
attack. 

This sort of thing went on for some time, and 
they began to think that, because I took no action 
against their enemies, I was afraid of them. 
There were threats to kill me every day, and one 
night, after some of their villages had been 
burned, and a lot of the people killed, they came 
to me and asked me to take their part, saying that 
they had always been friendly towards me, and 
that was why these people were making war on 
them and robbing them. 

I therefore sent a messenger to the offending 
chief, to say that if he did not return the stolen 
property, and pay compensation for the murders 
he had committed, I should have to go and 



94 JOHN BOYES 

compel him to do so. (The law of the country 
is that for every man killed a payment of one 
hundred sheep shall be made, and for every 
woman thirty sheep.) The chief simply returned 
an insulting message to the effect that we were 
afraid of him, and the next time he came he 
would kill me too. 

A few days later I had a consultation with 
Karuri, and we came to the conclusion that the 
only thing to be done was to go out and fi^ht 
the matter out with them, though I was strongly 
averse to getting mixed up in any of their 
quarrels . However, the matter was settled for us, 
for while we were still negotiating for a peaceful 
settlement of the difficulty, our enemies came 
down in force one day and attacked the village. 
They numbered altogether about five hundred 
warriors, while we could only muster about three 
hundred. They had been successful in previous 
raids because the people were scattered about in 
a number of small villages, and could not muster 
in sufficient force to beat them off, as they could 
always overwhelm a village and get away before 
any help could be brought to the spot. On this 
particular occasion, however, matters were a 
little different, as we had been expecting trouble, 
and had made arrangements to give them a 
warm reception if they should venture to come. 

Our spies had been out for some time, and 
kept us well informed as to what was going on, 



CAPTURE OF ENEMY 96 

and gave us good warning as to when we might 
expect to be attacked. As soon as the news of 
the approaching raid reached us, I mustered the 
fighting men and got ready to receive them . We 
were soon made aware of their approach by the 
sound of wild war-cries and savage yells, as well 
as by the flames of the burning villages,, to which 
they set fire as they came along, and, meeting with 
no opposition, no doubt they anticipated an easy 
victory. 

By this time I had taught my people to hold 
themselves in check, and act together, instead 
of each man fighting for his own hand. Waiting 
till they had got within easy striking distance, 
we poured in a volley of spears and arrows and 
I did service with my rifle. Following up the 
surprise caused by this unexpected reception, we 
were soon among them and engaged in a warm 
hand-to-hand fight, which lasted until we had 
beaten off the invaders and followed them right 
back into their own country. The battle, which 
had started in the early morning, lasted until mid- 
day, and, having administered severe punishment, 
we camped for the night in the enemy's district. 

We had had the good fortune to capture the 
enemy's chief, who was brought a prisoner into 
our camp, and the next morning I consulted with 
Karuri as to what was to be done with him, and 
it was at last decided to hold a shaurl (pro- 
nounced showarl), or council, on the matter. I 



96 JOHN BOYES 

asked them what they would have done in a case 
like this if I had not been with them, and they 
replied that they would either have killed him 
or made him pay a heavy fine . I pointed out that 
killing him or making his people pay a heavy 
fine would only aggravate the enmity of these 
people, and so cause more trouble later on. I 
told them that it would be better to make the 
chief restore everything that had been stolen by 
him — not in previous years, but in the raids which 
had taken place during my stay among them, and 
to this course they finally agreed. 

Within a few days all the stolen property was 
restored to its original owners, causing much 
rejoicing among them, as they had, of course, 
never expected to see any of it again. Of course, 
I took precautions to see that no friction occurred 
during the process of retransferring the recovered 
property, and having invited some of the chief 
men of both districts to my camp, we got on 
quite friendly terms. Seeing them sitting, eating 
and drinking together amicably, it was difficult 
to imagine that they had been cutting one 
another's throats only a few days previously, 
but the Kikuyu, like many other African races, 
are remarkably changeable, and their temper can 
never be relied upon. As I learnt during my 
stay among them, they are both fickle and 
treacherous, and had it not been for my own 
people, I should have run great risk of being 



BLOOD BROTHERHOOD 97 

killed on several occasions, through trusting 
them too much. 

I was very anxious to strengthen and main- 
tain my friendship with these people and the 
surrounding clans, and, after some discussion 
on the matter, found that they had a cere- 
mony, known as Pigasangi, which was sup- 
posed to be mutually binding. If it could be 
arranged for me to undergo this ceremony, there 
was every prospect of a lasting friendship being 
formed. This ceremony differs from that of 
blood brotherhood chiefly in that, while blood 
brotherhood establishes a friendly relationship 
with the individual, Pigasangi establishes it with 
the whole of the tribe or communities repre-^ 
sented at the ceremony. 

After some days the assembled chiefs con- 
sented to take part in the ceremony, and, accom- 
panied by the natives who had always been 
friendly to me, and about fifteen of the old men 
of the district, I went to the chief's village to 
make the necessary arrangements. 

When we arrived at the village the people were 
already waiting to receive us, and there were 
signs of great festivity. Word had been sent 
round to all the villages that the ceremony was 
to take place, and, as it was looked upon as a 
great occasion for rejoicing, much dancing and 
beer-drinking were going on, and we were re- 
ceived with shouts of welcome and every sign 



98 JOHN BO YES 

of friendship. A large clearing had been selected 
for the occasion — the Kikuyu, like many other 
savage tribes, always choosing an open space 
for their ceremonies, or discussions of import- 
ance, as they were thus enabled to detect any 
would-be eavesdroppers before they could get 
near enough to overhear anything or to attempt 
any treachery. Nearly all native villages, I found, 
have a large space set apart in the neighbourhood 
for the holding of their shauris, dances, &c. 

After a lot of superfluous oratory, the pro- 
ceedings began with a black goat being brought 
in, with its feet tied up, and laid in the centre 
of the space. The natives then grouped them- 
selves in a circle, with the chiefs and orators 
in the centre. Everybody taking part in the cere- 
mony had previously disarmed, and, consider- 
ing that there were over two thousand people 
present, it was remarkable how orderly and quiet 
the assembly was, everything being carried out 
without any hustling or disputing for right of 
place. 

The native never speaks at any meeting of 
the tribe without a stick in his hand, and on the 
present occasion each speaker was provided with 
a number of sticks, having one for each subject of 
discussion, the sticks being thrown on the ground 
by each alternately as he went through his speech. 
First one side and then the other stated the points 
of the agreement, which, of course, had been 



A NATIVE ORATOR 99 

carefully discussed beforehand, so that there 
should be no chance of argument during the cere- 
mony. The main points were that there were to 
be no hostilities between the two clans in future, 
that they were to assist each other, and that 
neither should molest any white man coming 
through its country. 

When all the sticks had been thrown down, 
they were collected, and being bound up in a 
bundle, were placed between the legs of the goat. 
The chief orator, whose stick was more like a 
club than the rest, then repeated the different 
conditions, at the end of each clause dealing the 
goat a heavy blow with his club whilst repeating 
a formula to the effect that any one breaking the 
agreement should die like that goat. By the 
time he had reached the last clause the animal 
was almost dead, and a particularly heavy blow 
dispatched it. After that no one dare touch the 
goat, which was regarded as sacred, and I learned 
that this was the opportunity to obtain any con- 
fession from a native, any one suspected of 
wrongdoing being asked to swear by the goat, 
when he would certainly tell the truth. 

The ceremony was followed by more re- 
joicing and drinking of native beer. 

This function considerably enlarged the area 
of friendly country, which now extended to the 
banks of one of the rivers which rises in the 
Aberdare Range, and flows in an easterly direc- 



':^\o 



100 JOHN BOYES 

tion until it empties, as I afterwards found, into 
the River Tana. 

On the other hand, the fact of these people 
making friends with me had the effect of in- 
creasing the enmity of the other chiefs, who 
remained outside the agreement, and feared that 
the effect of it would be to lead more white men 
to come into the country. 



CHAPTER V 

Am established in the country — Native festivities and 
dances — Troubadours — Musical quickness of the natives — 
Dearth of musical instruments — My attempts at military 
organization — Hostile rumours — Preparations for resisting 
attack — Great battle and defeat of the attacking tribes — 
Victory due to skilful tactics of my Kikuyu force — Succeed 
in taking a large convoy of provisions into the starving 
Government stations — White men attacked and killed — Am 
supreme in the tribe — Native poisons — Although I am 
supplying the Government stations with food, I get no 
recognition at the hands of the officials 

THE people in the immediate neighbourhood 
of the district where I was living now 
looked upon me as a great man. My 
advice had been good in their councils, and I 
had succeeded in bringing about peace with their 
bitterest enemies. They also regarded me as 
a great medicine man, on the strength of the 
iodoform, and of a bottle of Eno's fruit salts, 
which they would come round in crowds to watch 
me drink, saying that the white man could drink 
boiling water ; and they believed that I must 
have a stomach like iron, and, being utterly 

101 



102 JOHN BOYES 

ignorant, my friends were firmly convinced that 
it was impossible to kill me. 

The news of my presence spread all through 
the country, and many threats to kill me were 
uttered — it being reported that some of the hostile 
chiefs were banding together for that purpose. 

In the meanwhile, I invited some of the 
principal witch doctors to come and live near 
me, and at intervals of about ten days I would 
get the natives round about to come up to my 
house to dance. These dances were always held 
during the daytime, and the women took no part 
in them. The Kikuyu are a very musical people, 
singing wherever they go, and the warriors would 
come to the dances in a body, singing as they 
marched along, and keeping as perfect time and 
step as a regiment of trained soldiers. First of 
all they would have a kind of march past, and 
then, falling out, would form a huge circle, with 
all the woimen and the old men on the 
outside. First one warrior and then another 
would dart out from the circle and go through 
some weird evolutions. Every man was fully 
armed as if going on the war-path, and the 
movements took the form of a fierce fight 
with an imaginary enemy, each man, as he 
jumped out of the circle, rushing round and 
spearing his imaginary foe. If the man was 
recognized as a great warrior, he was violently 
applauded by the onlookers, and, encouraged by 



NATIVE FESTIVITIES 103 

the signs of approbation, would work himself 
up into a perfect frenzy ; but if he was a man 
who had not distinguished himself in any way, 
or who was not popular among the tribesmen, 
his performance would be received in absolute 
silence. 

One peculiar point that struck me about these 
people was the absence of any kind of musical 
instrument, even the usual drum. All their songs 
and dances were absolutely unaccompanied by 
any of the usual weird noises that, with most 
savage tribes, represent a musical accompani- 
ment, and the only musical instrument that I 
ever knew of their making was a kind of whistle, 
something after the fashion of those made by, 
boys at home from elder stems, and, I imagine, 
merely a toy ; certainly I never saw them used 
by any but boys, and only on rare occasions by 
the boys themselves. I do not include among 
musical instruments the war-horn, an instrument 
usually made from the horn of a bullock or the 
koodoo, and which is used simply as an alarm. 

One peculiar point about the applause on these 
occasions was that it was confined to the women, 
the men considering it beneath their dignity to 
make any demonstration, whether of approval 
or contempt. Although the women were not 
allowed to take any part in these dances them- 
selves, they always appeared in full force as 
spectators, rigged out in their best go-to-meet- 



104 JOHN BOYES 

mg suits of skins, with their bodies plentifully 
smeared with grease, and wearing all their 
ornaments. When any favourite warrior had the 
floor, they expressed their approval by waving 
bunches of grass, and at the same time raising 
a musical chant of " lu-lu-lu-lu-lu." This chant, 
by the way, was the common form of welcome 
among them, as, when my safaris returned from 
one of my trips to Naivasha with food, the women 
would all turn out as we approached a village 
and greet us with this cry, which was taken 
up from hill to hill as we went along. 

They had some dances in which the women 
joined, and these were usually held at night round 
a big fire. The Kikuyu seem to have more 
varieties of dances than any natives I know, and 
are, on the whole, a light-hearted race, singing 
all day long. 

They have a class of strolling minstrels, re- 
sembling more than anything the old troubadours 
of the Middle Ages. There were only five or six 
of these troupes in the country altogether, and, 
like the troubadours, they were a privileged class, 
travelling from place to place and extemporising 
songs about local events and people — not always 
without a strong tinge of sarcasm, which no one 
dared to resent. 

The Kikuyu were particularly clever in 
picking up the songs introduced by these trouba- 
dours, and a song that took the popular fancy 



SONGS AND DANCES 105 

would be taken up at its first hearing, and spread 
through the country with as much, or even more 
rapidity than a music-hall ditty among the 
errand-boys of London, disappearing as rapidly 
when a new one came out. 

There was a further resemblance to the 
troubadours in the fact that they dressed in a 
fashion of their own, and wore a ring of small 
bells strapped round each ankle, and a single 
large one of iron fastened to each knee. They 
seemed to be free to pass where they pleased 
throughout the country, and I consequently en- 
couraged them to visit me — which some of them 
would do every week — as they were able to keep 
me informed as to what was going on all over 
the country, so that I was able to meet any 
emergency that might arise. 

The dances I arranged as a means of bringing 
the people together, so that I could talk to them 
afterwards and explain various things to them 
which they did not at first understand, such as 
the coming of the white men, who, I explained, 
did not come to raid their villages and make 
slaves of them, but wished to be friends in trade 
with them. 

The information I got from some of my 
visitors with regard to what was going on in 
the outlying districts was also very useful at 
times. For instance, about this time I found that 
a tribe whose district lay to the north of us was 



/ 



106 JOHN BOYES 

preparing to make a big raid through the whole 
country, as they did not want any white men 
there at all ; and I also got news from time to 
time of Arab and Swahili traders being murdered 
on their way down from the north from the 
Turkana country, i 

Of course, these things put me on my guard, 
and I began to get the men together and to give 
them some little military training, so that we 
might be ready for any attack that should come. 
One point in particular that gave me a lot of 
trouble was teaching them to keep guard. It is 
a peculiarity of the African native that even when 
surrounded by the enemy and expecting attack 
at any minute, he has no idea of keeping on the 
alert and watching for his foe. I had a remark- 
able instance of this in the case of my own 
servant, a Swahili, whom I found herding sheep 
for the Kikuyu, and took into my service. He 
had originally come to the country with a 
caravan of Swahili traders, who, with the excep- 
tion of himself, had all been murdered. I put 
him among my askaris (soldiers), and one night 
when he was on guard, on making my usual 
round to see that all was right, I found hijn 
lying on the ground fast asleep at his post. I 
took his rifle away, and as that did not wake him I 
poured a bucket of water over his head. Even 
that did not disturb him much, the only effect 

' The Turkana country lies to the west of Lake Rudolph. 



MILITARY ORGANIZATION 107 

being to make him shiver and pull his coat 
over his head — possibly thinking it was raining 
—and then go on sleeping as peacefully as ever. 
So I called the other men and pointed him out 
to them, and they slipped a noose round his legs 
and pulled him by his feet, while I fired a shot 
in the air over his head. I thought that this 
would give him such a fright that he would 
never go to sleep on guard again, but it did 
not work and I had to find him another job. It 
might have been thought that his experience 
of having all his companions murdered through 
not keeping a proper guard would have been 
sufficient to make him keep awake, but this care- 
lessness of such dangers is a native peculiarity 
which is very hard to overcome. 

As I have said, I found it very necessary to 
have the natives better organized, from a military 
point of view, seeing the danger with which we 
were threatened, not only in respect of keeping 
guard, but also in their method of fighting. 
They had never been accustomed to observe any 
sort of formation in their attack, but simply made 
a mad rush at the enemy, so I taught them to 
keep together, forming a line with their shields 
touching. I had one or two lines in front of 
men armed with spears and shields, while the 
bowmen, with their poisoned arrows, took their 
place behind, protected by the shields of those 
in front. I had very few rifles, but hearing that 



108 



JOHN BOYES 



there were some in the country — a good way 
farther north — which had been taken from some 
Swahili traders who had been murdered, I made 
a night march to secure them, and succeeded in 
collecting about one hundred, but only some 
thirty of them were of any real use. Having 
managed to get some ammunition, I selected 
the best men out of the tribe and armed them 
with these rifles, taking great trouble in teach- 
ing them how to use them. After a time I was 
able to put the squad through the manual exer- 
cises in English, though it always puzzled me 
to know how they understood what I wanted them 
to do, as not one of them knew a word of English, 
but I suppose they simply imitated what they 
saw me do when showing them the various move- 
ments, and associated certain sounds with those 
movements. 

All this time the country was in a terrible 
state of unrest. Every night alarming messages 
were brought in that the people from the north 
were coming down to attack us. One night it 
would be the followers of Wagombi — a big chief 
living near Mount Kenia, who could muster two 
or three thousand fighting men — who were on the 
war-path. This chief had raided the whole of the 
country at one time or another, and, though I 
had tried to get messengers through to him in 
the hope of making friends with him, they were 
always murdered. Another night it would be the 



HOSTILE RUMOURS 109 

people of Tato who were coming down on us. 
All this time food was being collected and 
brought in, and I was anxious to explore the 
country still further, but was afraid to leave, on 
account of these rumours of threatened attacks. 
If I had gone away I should have had to take 
the best of the people with me, and I knew 
that during my absence the hostile tribes would 
have come down on the district, burnt the place 
out, and killed every one that was left. Besides, 
all the people urged me to stay with them, and 
not to go away just yet. 

I had taken the precaution of placing out- 
posts to give us due warning of any attack, 
which I expected would take place, if it did come, 
early in the morning, just before daylight, this 
being the usual time for an attack, and for this 
reason the Kikuyu will not keep fowls, lest the 
crowing of the cocks towards dawn should betray 
their villages — which are always hidden away in 
the bush — to the enemy. This practice of 
delivering their attack just before dawn prevails 
among savage tribes pretty well all over the 
world, and I think that the chief reasons which 
lead to this time being chosen are, firstly, that 
the night offers the best opportunity of 
gradually bringing the force up into such a 
position that the enemy are surrounded before 
they can discover the movement which is in 
progress, and, secondly, that it is the hour at 



no JOHN BOYES 

which vitality is at the lowest point, and con- 
sequently, the desire for rest and sleep has 
greater power over the body, and the force 
attacked is likely to be less alert and less fitted 
for strenuous resistance. 

One night an attack was actually made on us, 
though it did not turn out to be anything very 
serious, and was possibly simply a piece of 
bravado on the part of some of the young warriors 
who were anxious for war. They had not time 
to do much damage before we arrived on the 
scene and repulsed them, with the loss of a few 
killed. 

Up to this time I had not really attached much 
importance to the rumours that an attack was to 
be made on us from that quarter, though I had 
taken all precautions against being caught 
napping ; but this put me more on the alert 
than ever, while my people were absolutely 
terrified — especially as the latest rumour said 
that the people of Tato, who were coming down 
on us, had got the Masai to join them, as well 
as many of the Kikuyu who lived on the other 
side of the river which, as I explained before, 
was the boundary of the friendly district. This 
river was nearly two days' march from the 
farther boundary of the Kikuyu country, and the 
inhabitants of the intervening district had made 
friends with the Masai to save themselves from 
being raided — indeed, those on the boundary 



PREPARING DEFENCES 111 

were halt Masai themselves, having largely inter- 
married with that tribe. They would probably 
be able to muster a force of about two thousand 
fighting men ; so having come to the conclusion 
that there was something in the rumour — after 
having made inquiries and carefully thought the 
matter out — I saw that it was necessary that we 
should be thoroughly prepared, and set to work 
to make my plans accordingly. Crossing the 
country through which the enemy would have 
to come was a deep ravine, with a river running 
through it. This river was crossed by a few 
bridges consisting simply of felled trees, which 
had been cut down so as to fall across the stream. 
I gave orders to destroy or remove these bridges 
at once, with the exception of one, against which 
I kept a guard night and day, to give us full 
warning of the enemy's coming ; my intention was 
to destroy the bridge as soon as the opposing 
force had crossed it, in the hope that I might be 
able to teach them such a lesson that they would 
leave us alone for the future. 

At the top of the mountain overlooking the 
ravine I had built another house for myself, 
with a food station and trading store attached — 
as I made use of every opportunity of trading — 
and it was here that I decided to wait for the 
invaders. I had put a good guard there, which 
I visited every day myself, to see that things 
were all in order. The only path up the hill 



112 JOHN BO YES 

from the bridge over the river zig-zagged up 
the mountain -side, and was very rough and 
steep, so that it was difficult for an enemy to 
approach in a body. 

The people living near this station were in 
continual fear of an attack, as they had news 
from their spies that a considerable number of 
Masai were on the Kikuyu boundary, near Tato, 
and it had been the custom of this tribe to raid 
the country at least once a year, when the young 
braves would come out on the war-path after the 
circumcision ceremony to prove their fighting 
qualities. Their main object was loot, but they 
did not hesitate to kill all who opposed them, 
besides burning the villages and carrying oif the 
cattle — and very often the women as well. I 
determined if possible to put an end to this 
raiding and wanton bloodshed. 

The men guarding the bridge had been in- 
structed to send two of their number to bring me 
word as soon as they saw the enemy approaching, 
while the remainder were to stay behind in 
hiding, and destroy the bridge as soon as the 
invaders had crossed, so as to cut off their 
retreat. The long expected attack came early 
one morning, and, following out their instruc- 
tions, the watchers at the bridge gave me early 
warning that a large body of warriors had crossed 
the river, and we were quite ready to give them 
a warm reception. They came boldly on, never 



I 




A GROUP OF MASAI WARRIORS 



KIKUYU WARRIORS 113 

thinking that we were waiting for them, and no 
doubt expecting the same easy victory that they 
had had on previous raids. But a big surprise 
was in store for them. Owing to the narrowness 
of the path, they could only approach in single 
file, and we waited until they had almost reached 
the top before letting them know we were there. 
I had given strict orders that no man was to 
make a move, or utter a sound, until I gave 
the signal by firing my rifle. Coming steadily 
on, they had got close upon us when I fired, 
and my rifle -men opened on them at once, while 
the bowmen followed the volley up with a flight 
of poisoned arrows. The invaders were taken 
completely by surprise, and before they could 
recover themselves the Kikuyu warriors swept 
down on them with swords and spears. Bolting 
in a mad panic, they were hotly pursued down 
the mountain-side, suffering severely in their 
flight. Arriving at the river, they found that the 
bridge was gone, and many of them jumped into 
the stream, of whom some got safely across, but 
a good many were drowned on the way. At 
least fifty had been killed, and many wounded, 
and these I gave orders were not to be killed, 
but brought in as prisoners, of whom, when all 
were collected, we had a very large number, so 
that the victory was altogether complete, while 
my force had suffered only very slight loss. The 
punishment we had administered was so severe 



114 JOHN BOYES 

that the country was never again raided by these 
people during the time I was with the Kikuyu . 

This victory having ensured the people security 
from any further raids — for a time, at any rate — 
I had now the opportunity for which I had been 
looking, of taking the food I had collected into 
the British settlement. I had bought a lot of 
flour, which I took into the Government station 
at Naivasha, and very pleased they were to get 
it, as I found that they were practically starving 
for want of food. Not only was this the case 
at Naivasha, but they were no better off at the 
Ravine ; and so thankful were the Government 
to get these supplies that they made a contract 
with me to keep them provisioned, and I heard 
no more about my going into the Kikuyu country 
without permission ! 

It was on this visit to Naivasha that I was 
able to renew my acquaintance with two most 
interesting people, whom I had met on some of 
my journeys with food for the troops in Uganda. 
They were Mr. and Mrs. Walsh, who, at the time 
I first met them, were engaged, like myself, 
in taking up food in donkey-wagons for the 
troops. They had, I found, established the first 
store in Naivasha. This was what I had wished 
to do some time previously, but had been for- 
bidden by the official in charge — who, as I now 
have reason to believe, far exceeded his legal 
powers in doing so ; but I was only a settler, 



MR. AND MRS. WALSH 115 

and he was one of the officials who had his knife 
into me. 

This couple had come to East Africa from 
Mashonaland, where Mrs. Walsh had been the 
first white woman to enter the country, and had 
started by taking up the transport business, in 
which they had both had considerable experi- 
ence, and in which Mrs. Walsh took a man's 
share of the work, being the only white woman 
who ever ran transport in British East Africa. 
In spite of their many successful ventures, they 
are not numbered among the wealthy, their 
open-handed hospitality and careless, happy-go- 
lucky Irish temperament being against them in the 
race to accumulate riches ; but there is hardly 
any one who has been in British East Africa 
who does not know them, and few who have not, 
at one time or another, shared their generous 
hospitality, which was as freely extended to the 
trader or settler temporarily down on his luck 
as to the Governmxerit official or missionary 
travelling in luxury. 

I gave the authorities a full report on the 
country, telling them of the continual fighting and 
the trouble I had had right through. They said 
that they were quite aware of it, and that I could 
expect nothing else, but that they could give me 
no assistance, as they had quite enough troubles 
of their own, with the natives near at hand. 

It appeared that during my absence from the 



116 JOHN BOYES 

Kikuyu country my old partner Gibbons had re- 
turned from Uganda and gone into partnership 
with a man named Findlay to make a trading 
expedition to the Kikuyu country ; but I had 
somehow missed him while transacting my busi- 
ness in Naivasha, as his route had lain farther 
to the east. 1 found that as soon as the two 
had entered the country they had had trouble with 
the natives, and some of their men had been 
killed. They had taken with them forty or fifty 
men, armed with rifles, and about one hundred 
porters, intending to trade for ivory. So far 
as I could gather, a chief had come to them 
and told them that he had a tusk to sell. When 
the Kikuyu come to sell ivory they do not show 
you the tusk but give you the measurement, from 
which you have to guess the weight ; then, after 
the bargain is struck, you pay for the ivory, and 
the seller is supposed to bring it in. Gibbons 
bought a tusk, and sent ten armed men back 
with the chief to bring it in. These men were 
Swahili, who were terribly afraid of the Kikuyu. 
They had received the ivory, and were bringing 
it back to camp, when they were all ambushed 
and murdered. The rest of the safari lost heart 
at the murder of their companions and had 
scarcely courage to defend themselves, and 
Gibbons saw that his only chance was to build 
a boma, as the natives were coming in force 
to attack him. They had barely completed the 



FINDLAV KILLED 117 

boma when they were attacked, and throughout 
the jiight the improvised fort was surrounded 
by a yelHng horde of savages, bombarding them 
with spears and arrows and trying by every 
means to get through the defences. Gibbons 
and Findlay kept up a plucky defence, and by 
spurring on their men managed to beat off the 
attack. Things, however, looked even worse in 
the morning, when the natives were reinforced, 
and hemmed them in on every side. It was im- 
possible to remain in the boma, as they could 
not hope to hold it for long against the hundreds 
of black fiends who surrounded them, and it was 
decided to make a sortie and, if possible, cut 
their way through and get out of the country. 
The attempt was made, and a fierce hand-to- 
hand fight ensued, in which Findlay received two 
bad spear thrusts, and would have been killed 
outright had not one of his boys come to the 
rescue, firing his rifle so close to Findlay's 
assailant that he blew his arm clean off. Findlay 
was carried back into the boma, to which Gibbons 
and the few survivors also returned, and managed 
to strengthen their defences sufficiently to enable 
them to hold the savages at bay until a messenger 
could get through to the nearest Government 
station, from which a relief force of the King's 
African Rifles was sent out, and after a week 
of terrible hardship Gibbons and his few remain- 
ing followers were rescued. Findlay, however, 
died later of his wounds. 



118 JOHN BO YES 

This incident gives a good idea of the 
treacherous and bloodthirsty nature of the people 
among whom I was now spending my life. 

On returning to Karuri's I found myself on 
better terms than ever with the natives, and many 
other chiefs came in to profess their friendship. 
By this time I could speak Swahili well, and 
had mastered the Kikuyu language sufficiently 
to understand what they were saying, although 
I still spoke to them through an interpreter, as 
I thus had time to consider my replies. My 
thorough defeat of their sworn enemies, the 
Masai, had given me a great reputation among 
them, which was increased by their belief that 
it was impossible to kill me, a belief which had 
been strengthened by my defying the witch 
doctors to poison me and swallowing, in their 
presence, samples of what they considered their 
most deadly poisons without any ill effects. In 
consequence of the reputation I had thus gained 
my word was law, and I advised them that it would 
be greatly to their advantage to stop quarrelling 
and fighting among themselves, which advice I 
backed by severely punishing any one I caught 
quarrelling. With regard to my singular im- 
munity from the effects of the poisons of the 
native witch doctors, it is, perhaps, difficult to 
find a satisfactory explanation. Whenever I met 
a witch doctor I always insisted on sampling 
any poisons he might have with him, which were 



MY IMMUNITY FROM POISON 119 

always prepared with honey, and appeared to me 
to be a mixture of honey and the ashes of burnt 
herbs— a black, sticky mess—and though not, 
perhaps, the most appetising morsel one could 
choose, yet not so unpleasant to the taste as to 
be objectionable. But, in spite of the oppor- 
tunities thus offered them to get rid of the one 
man in the country whom they both hated and 
feared, I never felt the slightest ill-effects from 
these experiments. On the other hand, it must 
not be supposed that I ordinarily took any undue 
risks of death by poison. I never accepted any 
drink offered by my savage acquaintances or 
hosts without first seeing that the person who 
brought it carried out the usual custom of 
sampling it himself before I touched it, while 
I took all necessary precautions to ensure that 
my food was not interfered with. 

Several theories occur to my mind to account 
for my immunity. One is that the concoctions 
which I took, in spite of the witch doctors' 
assurances that they were deadly, were not 
poisons at all. I think it quite likely that they 
never carried their real poisons on them, but 
specially prepared them, in the secrecy of their 
own huts, for each individual, and that they were 
merely trying to frighten me.^ 

^ It is the Wakamba who deal in poisons and sell them to 
the neighbouring tribes. They pretend to have a monopoly 
of them in East Africa. 



120 JOHN BOYES 

Another is that the Kikuyu had no poisons at 
all. I It must be remembered that the African 
native is one of the most superstitious beings in 
the world, and there is no doubt that many of 
the deaths attributed to the action of the witch 
doctors were really due to pure funk . The natives 
are so oppressed with a belief in the occult powers 
of the medicine man that it is well known that 
it is generally quite sufficient for him to curse 
an individual and assure him that his death 
will take place on or before a certain time to 
ensure that the man will simply give up the 
ghost according to the prophecy. Instances of 
this sort of thing can be quoted in connexion 
wi^th most primitive races, either in Africa or 
India. I know very well that some of the native 
races of British East Africa have deadly poisons, 
and do not hesitate to use them, as two white 
men of my acquaintance met with horrible deaths 
from poison administered by some Wakamba, 
while I know of more than one similar instance 
occurring among white men on the West Coast. 
But with the native the ingrained superstitious 
fear of the medicine man is generally quite suffi- 
cient to cause death under the influence of his 
curse. So deeply rooted in the native mind is 
this belief in the power of these quacks that I 

^ The poison put on their arrows is, I believe, innocuous if 
merely swallowed ; it needs to be inoculated in the blood 
to be effective. 



MEDICINE MEN 121 

know of a native doctor, holding the post of 
Assistant Colonial Medical Officer in one of our 
West Coast colonies, who definitely stated that 
he could do nothing for a certain man who was 
ill, and of whom it was rumoured among the 
natives that he had trodden on poison which 
had been scattered on the floor of his house by 
a native medicine man for the purpose of 
poisoning him. This official was a prominent 
member of the Church of England in the colony 
and the possessor of several first-class European 
qualifications, yet he frankly said that he could 
do nothing against the arts of his heathen rival ! 

It is quite possible that a reason for my 
escape may be found in the superstitious fears 
of the witch doctors themselves. One of the 
greatest assets of these men was the belief, which 
they carefully fostered among the natives, that 
any one attempting to injure them would bring 
some terrible disaster upon himself. If they 
actually believed this themselves— and by con- 
stant reiteration of the fraud they may at last have 
brought themselves to believe it to be a truth- 
it is quite likely that they feared that any attempt 
to injure me, whom they reluctantly admitted 
to be more powerful than themselves, would, in 
the same way, recoil on their own heads. 

I may mention that the medicine men of the 
Fantee and Ju-ju systems, on the West Coast, 
frankly admit that their arts are of no use 



122 JOHN BOYES 

against the white man, who absolutely disbelieves 
in them, so that possibly my want of faith in 
their mummery served to protect me from their 
kindly attentions and from any serious attempts 
at poisoning. 

It should be remembered also that by 
*' medicine " is meant incantation— that the 
drug is supposed to act rather through the 
medium of the incantation than through any 
potency of its own. Hence the powers of a 
poison to do harm would depend more on the 
magic possessed by the medicine man than on 
the power of the drug. So that a poison would 
have no power to injure a medicine man 
possessed of more magic than the man 
administering the drug. 

After collecting more food, I went down with 
it again to the Government station at Naivasha, 
the road to which, through the bamboo forest, 
was extremely difficult ; but when I wanted to 
improve the track the Kikuyu strongly objected, 
saying that if a road were made it would make 
it much easier for the Masai to raid them. As 
it was, in case of a raid, they could get away 
with their cattle through the bamboo forest. But 
if roads were made through the forest they would 
be at the mercy of the raiders. They also feared 
a descent by the Kalyera, another branch of the 
Kikuyu tribe, along the fringe of whose country 
I had to pass when taking supplies down to 



BACK AT NAIVASHA 123 

Naivasha. Where their path joined the main 
road into the Masai country my caravans were 
frequently waylaid. To put a stop to this I 
built a camp at the junction of the two paths, 
and left some armed men in charge, but they 
were continually being attacked, and several of 
them were killed. 

On getting the food into Naivasha I was told 
that there was no limit to the quantity they would 
take if I could only provide it. I again made a 
report to the Government as to the difficulty I 
had in obtaining the supplies ; but, as usual, 
no notice was taken. 



CHAPTER VI 

I determine to extend my operations into more remote dis- 
tricts of the Kikuyu country — New friends — Native taste 
for tea — Plague of ants — Curious superstition with regard 
to milking cows — The Kalyera reject my friendly overtures 
— Trouble at headquarters — Tragic interview with a recal- 
citrant chief — Gain further prestige thereby — Further plans 
— Take my Kikuyu followers down to Mombasa — Their 
impressions in contact with civilization 

ON returning to my home among the Kikuyu 
I found that the country was fairly quiet, 
so I thought I would take the opportunity 
to explore a little farther into the interior, and, 
if possible, make friends among some of the 
other chiefs, thus enlarging the area from which 
I could draw supplies of food. My idea was 
to build trading stations at various points in the 
country, and, leaving a few men in charge at 
headquarters, to organize a fairly large expedi- 
tion to explore other parts of the country and 
induce the natives to make friends and trade 
with me. 

The first people I wished to come to terms 
with were the Kalyera, who had given me so 
much trouble on the road to Naivasha. I wished 

124 



I EXPLORE THE COUNTRY 125 

to prevent my people being killed when taking 
the food down, and as these murders had been 
on the increase, I was afraid that they would 
eventually block the road. I determined to keep 
the route open at all costs, it being the only 
way into Naivasha. As I have already said, 
the Kikuyu country is very hilly and difficult for 
travelling, and to reach Kalyera we should have 
to cross several mountains and rivers. 

Having prepared my expedition, we set off. 
All the country through which we passed was 
under cultivation, by which I mean that 
wherever a clearing had been made in the forest 
the land was either growing food or had been 
abandoned in fallow after being under cultiva- 
tion for some time ; the custom of the Kikuyu 
being to cultivate the land until it showed signs 
of becoming exhausted and then make a fresh 
clearing and repeat the process. 

The first day passed without any trouble at 
all from the natives, who were all more or less 
friendly towards me in this part, and our first 
camp was pitched in the territory of a typical 
native chief, a rather stout and quite jolly sort 
of fellow, who owned a large number of cattle, 
sheep, and goats, and who seemed a good deal 
more like a Masai than a Kikuyu. I had not 
seen him before, but he had sent some of his 
people to help me against the hostile tribes who 
had come down to attack us. He wanted me 



126 JOHN BOYES 

to stay there altogether, but I told him that my 
headquarters were at Karuri's, and then delighted 
his heart with a present of a blanket and fez, 
which pleased him immensely. His people 
called me Karanjai, meaning literally " Who eats 
beans," because I preferred that vegetable to 
their sweet potatoes. In connection with this 
nickname of Karanjai several amusing incidents 
occurred before I found out what was actually 
meant by it. Names of this sort, which the 
natives are very clever in bestowing, once given, 
rapidly become known throughout the country, 
so that it was nothing unusual for me to be 
greeted as Karanjai on my first visit to some 
village in a part of the country quite new to 
me, and it was, therefore, not unnatural that 
I should think it was some form of greeting, 
and for a long time, when any native addressed 
me as Karanjai, I replied by repeating the word, 
thinking that I was thus complying with native 
etiquette. It was the more difficult for me to 
get at the real meaning as my own people would 
give me no satisfactory explanation, fearing that 
I should be annoyed if I found that they had 
given me a nickname. When I did finally dis- 
cover what it meant, it was impossible to be 
annoyed, as there was nothing objectionable in 
the name itself, and I could not help admitting 
that it was peculiarly appropriate. 

As time went on, and my power and influence 



TREACHERY OF KIKUYUS 127 

in the country extended, it was quite usual, when 
I visited a village, for several proud fathers to 
bring small sons to be introduced to me, ex- 
plaining that they also had been named Karanjai 
in my honour. 

They had never seen a white man before, and 
likened me to their god Ngai, as I was a great 
medicine man, and they believed that I could 
make rain. They also thought that I was un- 
killable, but, knowing their treacherous nature, 
I never allowed myself to be caught off my guard. 
The Kikuyu will come up to you smiling and 
kill you the next moment if he gets the chance. 
This happened in the case of a man who went 
out to buy food only about twenty miles from 
Fort Smith. The chief came up to him smiling, 
and while he shook hands with one hand drew 
his sword with the other, and the man barely 
escaped with his life, while all the men with him 
were killed. As before stated, they wear their 
swords on the right side, as the action of drawing 
the sword is less noticeable from that side, and 
their opponent has less warning of their intention . 

This chief, Wunjaggi, had been notified of my 
coming by a messenger sent on ahead of the 
party, and sent out some of his warriors to 
welcome me, who plucked handfuls of grass and 
waved them as a sign of peace. The chief met 
me with a huge spear in his hand, which, as 
soon as he saw me, he stuck in the ground, and 



128 JOHN BOYES 

we then shook hands in the native fashion, first 
spitting in our palms. I had discouraged this 
practice of hand-shaking among my own people, 
and taught them to make a military salute 
instead, as a precaution against treachery. He 
seemed very pleased to see me, and told me that 
he had heard a lot about the white man. As 
we entered the village his people began singing, 
and my followers joined in, and there was general 
jubilation. 

The chief gave me a present of sheep for 
myself and my men, and when we had selected 
a site and pitched our tent some njohi » was sent 
in, which I gave orders to be taken to my own 
tent and gave out to the men myself, as I knew 
that when they got too much they were not 
responsible for their actions, and would be sure 
to cause trouble. During the day quite a lot 
of people came to see me, as they had never 
seen a white man before, so I had a strong 
guard posted round the camp, only allowing a 
few natives to come in at a time, and all had 
to disarm before entering the camp. Of course, 
everything I had of European make was quite 
new to them, even to the tent ; but they seemed 
most particularly interested in the knives and 
forks, while the enamelled cups and saucers and 
plates also excited their curiosity. Everything 
I did seemed to them making magic. If I hap- 
^ A native drink. 



SALT A LUXURY 129 

pened to be reading a paper, they thought I was 
doing so for some occult purpose, and when I 
smiled at a funny paragraph they watched me 
curiously, and all began to laugh too, although 
they had not the faintest idea what I was 
amused at. 

I invited the chief to drink tea with me, out 
of a cup and saucer, and at first he took a lot 
of persuading, but after tasting the tea he liked 
it so much that I had reason to regret having 
introduced the practice, as both he and the 
various other chiefs I met got so fond of it 
that they would demand it whenever they saw 
me. They were also very fond of salt, which 
they would eat by the handful. This fondness 
for salt may seem to those who are accustomed 
to use it without stint, and even waste large 
quantities carelessly, rather peculiar ; but it must 
be borne in mind that in many parts of the 
world besides the Kikuyu country salt is a very 
rare article and a heavily-taxed luxury, every 
grain of which must be carefully economised. 
The Kikuyu obtained the requisite salt for their 
animals from certain salt-pans, or, as they are 
called in some parts of the world, salt-licks, 
which were places where the earth was sufficiently 
mixed with saline particles to give it a fairly 
strong, brackish taste. This earth is dug up by 
the natives and mixed with water till it is of 
the consistency of liquid mud ; it is then placed 



JOHN BOYES 

in the cattle -troughs, and it is a strange sight to 
see the animals devouring this muddy mess with 
every appearance of enjoyment. For their own 
use they used to burn large quantities of green 
papyrus reed, mixing the ashes with their food 
instead of salt. This plant, although it grows 
in the fresh-water lakes and streams, contains 
a fair proportion of saline matter, so that the 
ashes form a substitute— though, to my taste, a 
very inefficient one— for salt. 

As the country here was about seven thousand 
feet above sea-level it became very cold at night, 
and I had always a big fire lighted at sundown, 
and before turning in saw that a good guard 
was set. 

During our first night among my new friends 
we had a most unpleasant experience, in the 
shape of a visitation from an army of brown 
ants, which came right through the camp. These 
brutes— they are about half an inch long, and 
so may be rightly called brutes— have very power- 
ful jaws, like the claws of a lobster, and bite 
most fearfully. They covered everything in their 
path, and, getting into the blankets, drove me 
out of my tent, and caused every one to dance 
about in the most comical fashion in their efforts 
to get rid of the pests. So tenacious were they 
that one could hardly pull them off, and the whole 
camp was in an uproar during the hours that the 
army took to pass, and there was little more 



I 



A PLAGUE OF ANTS 131 

sleep that night for any one. I do not know to 
what particular variety of the ant tribe these 
brutes belonged, but I should think that they 
must bear a strong resemblance to the kind 
known as " the bull-dog ant/' which is, ambng 
certain African tribes, looked upon as a valuable 
assistant to the native surgeon, who uses it 
instead of the silk thread and surgical needle of 
civilization for sewing up wounds. The manner 
in which they are used for this purpose is as 
follows : The edges of the wound are drawn 
together, and held in that position with the fingers 
of the left hand, while with the right a bull -dog 
ant is picked up and held so that the jaws grip 
one on each side of the wound ; the body of 
the ant is then twisted off, while the head still 
remains, tenaciously holding on to the flesh. 
From this habit of holding on they have acquired 
the name of bull-dog. The Kikuyu did not make 
any such use of these ants, though their method 
of sewing up wounds was scarcely less primitive. 
In their case the edges of the wound were drawn 
together and a long thorn run through both. A 
fine thread, made of fibre from the bark of certain 
trees, is then wound over both ends of the thorn, 
in the same way that sailors wind the spare ends 
of ropes round the cleats. The thorn is left 
in place till the wound heals, and then dtrawn 
out in the same way that a surgeon removes 
the stitches after more civilized operations. 



132 JOHN BOYES 

Next morning we struck camp and resumed 
our journey, the chief accompanying me to the 
boundary of his territory. On the way he told 
me that he had had a lot of trouble with the 
neighbouring tribes, particularly the people I was 
going to visit, the Kalyera, with whom he was 
in a state of continual warfare. He parted from 
rne with a serious warning to be very careful, 
as the people I should next meet were very 
treacherous . 

We had started about 6 p.m., and about five 
hours' march brought us to the village of the 
next chief, named Caranja, whose looks I did 
not like from the first, as he had a most trucu- 
lent and treacherous appearance, so that, 
although he shook hands with me readily when 
we met, I did not trust him, and ordered my men 
to keep a particularly strict guard, and forbade 
them to go into any of the villages. We camped 
outside, and nothing of note happened, except 
that the chief was most interested in my gun, 
and asked me to fire a few shots at a tree to 
show him how it worked— a request with which 
I complied. 

Starting at daybreak the next morning, the 
chief himself accompanied me as guide for some 
distance, and when beyond his jurisdiction I was 
surprised to find that the people had all deserted 
the villages along our road. I imagine that what 
had happened was that the chief had sent 



SLOW PROGRESS 133 

messengers on ahead to say that I was coming to 
hght them and raid their country ; or, possibly, 
the reason was that I had now got to the edge of 
the Kalyera country, and they thought that I 
had come to inquire into their behaviour in 
killing my people and to demand compensation. 
Although we shouted to them as we went along 
that we had not come to fight them and waved 
bundles of grass to show that our intentions were 
peaceful, none of them would come near us, and 
we did not interfere with them. 

All the country round was thickly populated 
and under cultivation, like the districts we had 
already passed through. The chief who had been 
guiding us had returned to his own village, and 
we were making very slow progress through an 
unknown country when two natives came in 
sight, whom we found had been sent by another 
chief to guide us to his place. They said it 
was not very far away, but the native has very 
little idea of distance, and I thought we were 
never going to arrive at his village. I knew 
from experience that a native will lead you on 
for two or three days with the assurance that you 
are close to your destination. Our guides kept 
telling us that it w^as just over the next hill, and 
when we had got over that it was always just 
over the next. I was beginning to get tired, and 
thought about camping for the night, when the 
guides pointed out a village in the distance, which 



134 JOHN BOTES 

I could just make out with my glasses, so we 
continued our journey, and arrived close to the 
village about dusk. There was a lot of shout- 
ing and hallooing, but we did not go in and 
camped close together outside . Practically every 
man was on guard that night, as we knew 
nothing about the people, and could not be sure 
that they would be friendly, but though we heard 
a lot of shouting during the night nothing hap- 
pened, and in the morning the chief came to 
see me. As soon as I saw him I liked the look 
of him. He seemed a young man, though it is 
very difficult to tell the age of natives— they never 
know it themselves— but I took him to be about 
thirty. He seemed to be quite different from 
any Kikuyu I had ever seen, his features being 
more of a European type, and he had not the 
thick lips of the ordinary native, whilst his skin 
was more of a copper colour than black. He 
also seemed a good deal more intelligent than 
the others I had met, and his people were not 
in the least afraid, as most of the others had been . 
The chief's name was Jugana-wa-Makura, and 
he had with him a friend, a neighbouring chief, 
named Bartier, and we were soon very friendly 
together. Makura brought his old mother to 
see me— a Masai woman, who wore a dress of 
skins, plentifully hung with iron -wire ornaments. 
The old lady was very friendly, shaking hands 
with me, and telling me that she had heard a 



JUGANA-V¥A-MAKURA 185 

lot about the white man, and that it had been 
her greatest wish to see one before she died. 
They gave me a lot of presents of sheep, and 
also food for my men, and though I did not 
allow myself to be taken off my guard by these 
•professions, I found that they were absolutely 
genuine. 

Both of these loyal chiefs, unfortunately, 
paid for their friendship to the white man 
with their lives. Some two years after this I 
came into the country with an expedition sent 
by the Government to punish the Kalyera for 
some outrages, and called on Jugana-wa-Makura 
and Bartier for the assistance of some of their 
warriors, which was readily given. After our 
expedition left the country the Kalyera ambushed 
both these chiefs and murdered them for having 
assisted the Government expedition. As is 
usually the custom in such cases, the criminals 
escaped scot-free, no steps ever being taken by 
the Government to find out and punish the 
murderers. 

I had had great difficulty in obtaining milk 
from the previous Kikuyu we had met, as, being 
very superstitious, they thought that if I drank 
the milk the cow from which it came would 
die. I found that this superstitious objection to 
giving away the milk of their cows prevailed 
throughout the Kikuyu country. The people 
themselves use very little, if any, milk for food 



136 JOHN BOYES 

purposes, preferring to allow the calves to have 
it, and seldom or never milking the cows them- 
selves, so that butter was unknown in my time 
,a^ong them, though they may now have been 
taught to go in for dairy-farming to some extent. 
They were at that time, however, perfectly con- 
vinced that to allow a stranger to drink any of 
their milk was a sure way of bringing disaster 
on the cow. 

Owing to milking not being a general practice, 
the cows would never give their milk unless the 
calf was near by, so that if the calf died it was 
their practice to stuff the skin and place it by 
the cow when they went to get any milk. 

This chief, however, brought me plenty of 
milk, and was altogether most friendly disposed, 
so we camped there for several days, the natives 
coming in every day to see me, and organizing 
a big dance for my special benefit. They had 
heard of my people being killed while going 
into Naivasha, and told me that the Kalyera were 
a bad lot and not long before had murdered 
some Government soldiers who had been sent 
out to buy food for the people constructing the 
Uganda Railway. 

Being now close to the Kalyera country, I tried 
to get into touch with some of the chiefs, but 
they would not come to see me, only sending a 
lot of insulting messages in reply to my requests 
for interviews, and saying that if they saw any 



MY HEADQUARTERS ATTACKED 137 

of my people straying about they would kill 
them. They did not attack me, however, but I 
had to abandon my mission to them for the 
present. 

The two friendly chiefs brought me in a lot 
of food, for which I traded with them, and also 
several tusks of ivory, which I also acquired. 
Unfortunately, my own people could not carry 
all that I had bought down to headquarters, and 
the chief's people refused to go down with me, 
saying that they would be killed on the way 
back, the other tribes being hostile to them ; so 
that the food had to be stored until such time as, 
I could arrange to have it transferred to Karuri's. 

My followers having made friends with the 
people with whom we had been staying, we were 
all very sorry to leave ; but it was imperative 
that we should return at once, as a rumour had 
reached me that my people at headquarters were 
in trouble, and they had sent a message for me 
to come back as quickly as possible. We had 
hardly got started on the return journey when 
it was rumoured among the natives that I had 
gone on this expedition especially to see the 
Kalyera people, and that I was returning because 
I was afraid to meet them. Emboldened by this, 
the tribe living to the north had attacked my 
headquarters, killed a lot of the people, and 
raided the country, burning the villages, and 
carrying off a lot of cattle, sheep, and goats. 



138 JOHN BOYES 

as well as some of the women. On hearing this 
news I hurried back as fast as possible, as I 
thought it quite likely that they would burn my 
place. I got back in time to prevent any further 
fighting, and set myself to calm the fears of my 
people, who were lamenting the loss of their 
cattle, and praying me to get back their women. 
I found that the whole country was up in arms, 
and set to work to find out what was the cause 
of all the trouble. 

It seemed that my own people had been partly 
the aggressors, and the old quarrelling had been 
started again ; so I sent out messengers to ask 
the other chiefs in the neighbourhood to come 
in to see me. It is the custom always to send 
two messengers together, as no native will travel 
alone, and I waited some time, but as neither of 
the men returned, I supposed that they had both 
been murdered. So I moved out and pitched my 
camp at one of my trading stations on the boundary 
of the country, where I had built a house, which I 
found had not been interfered with. I hoped, by 
staying there a few days, to get into communica- 
tion with the natives, with the object of getting the 
old men of the district to come in for a shauri. 
In this I was successful, and we talked over the 
whole matter of the raid. They said that they 
had no wish to fight, but the young warriors had 
got out of hand, carrying things their own way. 
The result of the palaver was that the women and 



AN INSOLENT CHIEF 139 

all the stolen cattle were returned, with the ex- 
ception of a few sheep and oxen that had been 
eaten, and knowing that my own people had been 
the aggressors in the first instance, I did not see 
that I could take any stronger action in the 
matter. 

However, this peaceful settlement did not 
please them, and, coupled with my failure with 
the Kalyera, caused a change of feeling towards 
me ; the people became insolent, and I had to be 
more than ever on my guard. Things were 
getting pretty bad, and it so happened that, just 
at this time, I had to call in a rather powerful 
headman, who had been causing a good deal 
of disturbance in the country, to see me ; so I 
sent a messenger to his village to summon him to 
my camp. He refused to come, and sent back 
an insolent message, which was heard by all the 
people round about, and caused a jeering laugh 
at my expense. This headman was known as a 
great warrior, who was said to have slept out in 
the bush at night to kill lions with a spear, and 
was supposed to have killed several in that way. 

I sent further messages to him, but he abso- 
lutely refused to come, and began to send 
threatening replies. He had a following of 
about one hundred fighting men, and it 
became a standing joke in the country that 
he had defied the white man, so that I felt that 
unless I did something I should lose my 



140 JOHN BOYES 

influence in the country ; I was also getting 
ashamed to face my own people, who were con- 
tinually asking if I was not going to bring him 
in by force. A few days later the matter was 
brought to a head by a body of about five hundred 
fighting men turning up at my camp to ask 
me what I proposed to do in the matter. Seeing 
that they were thoroughly roused, I said that I 
would go and bring him in myself. They all 
wanted to go with me, but I said that I would 
go alone, and to show that I was not afraid of 
him, I would not even take a gun^ but only a 
stick or knobkerrie : I took the precaution, how- 
ever, to have my revolver in my belt out of 
sight. 

I started off with only about ten men, and 
when we got within a few hundred yards of the 
mutineer's village, I told the men to stay behind, 
while I went on to talk to the headman. They 
had evidently got news of my coming, and were 
waiting for me, as I could see about fifty men, 
all fully armed, with the chief in front, drawn 
up to receive me, and I had no doubt that others 
were in ambush near by. The man was a fine 
big fellow, every inch a chief, and I knew that I 
could only hope to succeed by showing a bold 
front, bravery being about the only virtue a 
savage recognizes. As I advanced alone they 
appeared to be impressed, and a grunt of appro- 
bation passed round. The crisis had arrived, and 



SUBMISSION 141 

I knew that only sheer bluff could carry me 
through ; so, before the chief could guess my, 
intention, I sprang on him like a flash, and dealt 
him a blow with the knobkerrie which laid hijn 
senseless on the ground, at the same time shout- 
ing to his followers to throw down their weapons, 
as my men had them covered with their guns, 
and they would all be shot if they attempted to 
resist. Standing over the chief, with my hand 
on my revolver, I was ready to face the crowd, 
but, to my great surprise, they all threw down 
their weapons. It must be remembered that I 
was believed to possess mysterious powers, which 
probably accounts in some measure for their 
ready submission. 

Having made the warriors put all their 
weapons in a heap, I ordered them to bring in 
some sheep and goats which they had stolen, 
and had the chief carried to my camp, while the 
sheep and goats were driven into my village, the 
.whole of the warriors marching ahead of me 
till I reached my own people. After giving 
them a good feed, I gave them a good talking 
to, and dressed the wound on the chief's head, 
binding it up with some sticking-plaster ; while, 
to show that there was no ill-feeling, I invited 
his followers to spend the night in my cam,p, 
and return to their own village in the morning. 

During the night I heard an awful row, and, 
rushing out to see what had happened, I found 



142 JOHN BOYES 

that the two parties of natives had been sitting 
round the fire, drinking njoi, and having imbibed 
too freely, had started their quarrels all over 
again. The old men of the village were fighting 
with the chief I had brought in, who was de- 
fending himself with the flat of his sword. My 
appearance speedily put an end to the disturb- 
ance, and, taking the chief into my own quarters, 
I ordered my men not to alloiw any one to go 
near him. No further trouble occurred during 
the night, and the following morning the chief 
returned with his own people to their village. 
We parted the best of friends, and for the re- 
mainder of my stay in the country he was one 
of my best men. 

Having re-established my influence, I was able 
to continue my trading, and collected large 
quantities of food, which I took down from time 
to time to Naivasha. The possession of cloth and 
other trade goods seemed gradually to have a 
civilizing effect on the natives, and they would 
listen attentively while I told them of our Queen 
and Government, the big cities of the white 
people, and the ships which crossed the seas . 
They were more ready to trade than formerly, 
and I found no difficulty in obtaining food, which 
they were only too ready to bring in, in order to 
procure the cloth and other trade goods with 
which I purchased it from them. 

My chief enemies were the rain-makers and 






A WITCH'S CUNNING 143 



witch doctors, who were jealous of my power, 
and disliked me because I did not show them 
proper respect. For anything that went wrong 
they blamed the white man. When the natives 
wanted rain, and grumbled because it did not 
come, these witch doctors said that I was the 
cause of the drought, and I found that they 
were gradually stirring up trouble all round me, 
and trying by every means in their power to get 
me killed. They knew that they were losing 
their influence and were not looked up to as they 
used to be owing to my presence, and they would 
have done anything to get me out of the country. 
Of course, they lived by trading on the supersti- 
tions of the natives. One of them in particular 
was believed to have great supernatural powers, 
and had a reputation for being able to disappear at 
night, when he was supposed to go to see their 
god, Ngai. Some support was given to this belief 
by an incident which was said to have happened 
one night. A number of the old men were drink- 
ing njoi in a hut, when a terrible storm came on. 
The witch doctor was one of the party. They 
were all sitting in a circle round the fire, when 
suddenly there was a tremendous flash of 
lightning, and the witch doctor, who was sup- 
posed to be still sitting among them, dropped 
through the roof into the middle of the circle. 
The cunning rascal had evidently crept out of the 
hut unnoticed by the others, and choosing the 



144 JOHN BOYES 

moment of the lightning flash, had dropped 
through into the midst of them ; while they, 
not having seen him leave the circle, were, of 
course, amazed to see him appear in this fashion 
through the roof, and quite believed his explana- 
tion that he had just come down from their god 
on the streak of lightning ! In spite of the witch 
doctors, however, the natives were, on the whole, 
very friendly to me, wishing me to stay in the 
country. 

Things being once more in a fairly settled 
state, I thought I should like to make a trip 
north, towards Mount Kenia, to try to make 
friends with some of the chiefs living in those 
parts. Wagombi, the powerful chief who lived 
at the foot of Mount Kenia, had a most 
murderous reputation, and was reported to be 
very treacherous. Several Arab and Swahili 
expeditions were reported to have been com- 
pletely wiped out by him, while the KingI of Tato, 
another neighbouring chieftain, a man named 
Karkerrie, had rendered his name redoubtable 
by similar murders. I gathered, however, that 
there was a lot of ivory in that part of the 
country, and being also anxious to open inore 
food stations, I was not to be scared by the 
ugly rumours I had heard. Another reason why 
I wished to make this journey was that I was 
anxious to see the place where Gibbons's safari 
had been cut up. So I gathered all the informa- 



A PROPHECY OF DEATH 145 

tion I could about the district, and talked the 
matter over with Karuri and his people. They 
were, without exception, altogether opposed to 
the undertaking, even the old men seeminig to 
be afraid, and saying that we were bound to be 
all killed, whilst one of the witch doctors 
prophesied that I should be killed and never 
return, and even went through an elaborate cere- 
mony to prove that it would happen. At his 
request I went into the bush and got three sticks, 
which I gave to him. Having first waved them 
round his head, chanting " Lu-lu-lu " all the time, 
he threw them on the ground, and then, picking 
up each stick separately, he shook it, first taking 
hold of one end then of the other. When he had 
finished this performance he said he could tell 
me what was going to happen, which, according 
to him, was that I should have a lot of trouble 
with the people of the district to which I was 
going, and therefore had better not go. If I 
did he assured me that I should certainly be 
killed and never return. 

Of course my people heard what the witch 
doctor had to say, and in the face of his pre- 
dictions did not want to go with me. I pointed 
out that so far nothing had happened to me 
during the time I had been in the country, nor 
had any harm befallen any of my personal ser- 
vants ; but my arguments were of no use, they 
declined to be persuaded, and begged me to 



146 JOHN BOYES 

give up the idea, saying that they would bring 
me all the food I could want and that I need 
not search anywhere else for it. I told them 
that I wanted ivory, and they hunted up a few 
tusks which I did not know they had, and these 
I bought ; but I was still resolved to go, so 
after much persuasion they said that they would 
go if I would get more rifles, as the people 
living round Mount Kenia were supposed to have 
a lot of rifles. They also told me that the 
trade goods I had were not suitable for that 
part, where they would prefer brass and iron 
wire to cloth and beads. I thought, therefore, 
that my best plan would be to take down my 
ivory and the food I had collected, and when I 
had disposed of them, to make a trip down to 
the coast myself for more trade goods. I also 
wished to ask the Government authorities to let 
me have some rifles, so I went down to Naivasha 
and delivered the food and ivory ; then, finding 
that the railway was approaching nearly as far 
up-country as Nairobi, which would enable me 
to take my men down to the coast without much 
trouble, after transacting my business I entrained 
with my savage followers for Mombasa. They 
were much impressed with the evidences of 
civilization, particularly with the railway engine, 
which they thought was alive, remarking that it 
seemed in a fever and wanted a drink. Arriving 
at Mombasa, they were equally astonished at the 



AT MOMBASA 147 

sea and the ships, never having seen either 
before. 

I was able to buy all the trade goods 
I required, and having finished that part of my 
business, I paid a visit to the Sub -Commissioner 
to ask him to allow me to have some rifles for 
self -protection. He absolutely refused, repeating 
what he had said when I first came to East 
Africa, that white men were not wanted in the 
country. I pointed out to him that the Arab 
and Swahili traders possessed rifles, to which he 
replied that they had not obtained them with 
official sanction ! Such was the class of adminis- 
trator approved by Downing Street for the 
opening up of a new country ! 

Before leaving Mombasa, where I stayed only 
a short time, I took the Kikuyu on board a ship, 
which was a remarkable experience for these 
people, who had spent all their lives in the 
mountains and had never even seen the sea, let 
alone a ship, before. If there was one thing that 
puzzled my Kikuyu followers more than another 
in Mombasa, it was, perhaps, the fact that every- 
thing had to be paid for. In their own country, 
when any Swahili traders came to a village they 
were accustomed to give them a sheep for food, 
and never thought of asking payment, but here, 
among the Swahili themselves, they found that 
they could get nothing unless they were prepared 
to pay for it ; above all, they were astonished 



148 JOHN BOYES 

that any one should have to pay for lodgings, 
as it was the invariable custom among them to 
set apart, or more often build, a hut for the 
use of any stranger whom they welcomed to their 
villages. They were very soon tired of Mombasa, 
appearing to be homesick, so we returned to 
Nairobi, where we camped for a few days, and 
during my stay bought some cattle, which my 
people told me would be useful for trading with 
the natives near Mount Kenia. 



CHAPTER VII 

Back again in the Kikuyu country — Kalyera raid — Effect 
of a mule on the native nerve — Does it eat men ? — Prepare 
for a new expedition — Dress my men in khaki, and march 
under the Union Jack — A hostile medicine man — Around 
Mount Kenia — Native drinks — Treacherous native attack on 
my camp — Lucky capture of the hostile chief saves the 
camp — Pursuit after stolen cattle — Another attack on my 
camp — Change of attitude of natives on account of rain — 
Peace again — Bury my ivory — The forest slopes of Mount 
Kenia — Wagombi's — A powerful chief — Precautions — Estab- 
lish myself and erect a fort 

THE return journey was accomplished with 
considerable difficulty. On arriving at 
my old camp at Menzini, where the path 
branched off to the Kalyera country, an attack 
was made on the men herding the cattle, with 
the result that several were killed and some of 
the cattle driven off. I was lying down in my 
tent when the news was brought to me, so 
turning out at once, I gave orders for a mule — 
which I had bought at Nairobi and given into 
the charge of one of my men, with orders to 
be always ready to saddle up at a moment's notice 
— to be brought, and mounting quickly, I set 

149 



150 JOHN BOYES 

off in pursuit of the cattle. The attack had been 
made while they were being taken down to drink 
at the river, and their tracks were plainly visible, 
though the cattle were nowhere in sight. Gallop- 
ing forward, I caught sight of them just as they 
were about to enter the bamboo forest, with about 
a hundred Kalyera driving them on. As I fired 
my revolver, and came galloping towards them 
on the mule — which was a kind of animal that 
they had never seen before — they bolted in a 
fright. My men had been following me up in 
the rear, and we drove the cattle back to the 
camp, deeming it unwise to attempt to follow 
the Kalyera up through the bamboo forest. After 
this we reached headquarters at Karuri's without 
further incident. 

When Karuri heard that we were coming he 
sent men out to meet us, and our return was 
the signal for great rejoicings. My mule came 
in for a special share of attention, and all sorts 
of funny questions were asked about it, such 
as whether it ate people — the general impression 
being that it was some sort of a lion — indeed, all 
the natives came in to see it, and a report was 
spread about the country that I went riding about 
on a big lion. I had brought Karuri a kettle, 
and a cup and saucer for making tea, of which 
he was very fond, and he was delighted with 
them, and, of course, I had also brought presents 
for the other chiefs. 



MY MEN IN KHAKI 151 

During the next week or so I spent the time 
preparing for my trip north. All the natives 
were now anxious to go with me, but I decided 
to pick only about one hundred of the best men, 
and as I had by this time about thirty rifles, I 
dressed the men to whom they were entrusted 
in khaki suits, which I had bought on my last 
visit to Nairobi, and of which the wearers were 
very proud. I had also brought a Union Jack 
back with me, which I took at the head of my 
caravan on all my later expeditions. The Kikuyu 
warriors carried their usual weapons, and the 
trade goods were divided among one hundred 
porters, whom I loaded lightly so that we could 
move quickly if the occasion required. 

The men looked very smart in their new khaki 
uniforms, and with the fifty or so Kikuyu 
warriors, armed with swords, spears, and shields, 
and the long line of porters and camp-follo>wers, 
it was quite an imposing expedition which set out 
from Karuri's village one morning. The 
warriors, armed with native weapons, acted as an 
advance guard, with myself next, riding the 
mule : immediately behind were ten soldiers, as 
my special bodyguard, and following these were 
the porters, with more soldiers distributed among 
them. A little farther to the rear were the camp- 
followers, followed by the cattle, then ten more 
soldiers, and behind all, a rearguard of fifty 
Kikuyu warriors. 



152 JOHN BOYES 

With orders to keep close together the safari 
marched out in single file, the Union Jack flying 
at the head, while Karuri, with the rest of the 
natives who remained behind, gave us a great 
send off, though the old witch doctor shook his 
head as if he still had misgivings as to the 
success of the enterprise. 

The first day we camped at my old food station, 
where we had defeated the Masai raiders, at the 
top of the mountain, and resuming the march 
the next morning, we went through the Chinga 
country. The natives kept out of the way, though 
we could see groups of them standing on the 
hills watching us, and though we shouted to them 
that we were friends, they only replied with 
threats, saying that they did not want. the white 
man in their country. All the villages were 
deserted, and we quite failed to get into touch 
with the people at all, until we saw some of the 
old men sitting on a hill -side, to whom I sent 
one of my men with a present of cloth. Ke 
went unarmed and waving a bunch of grass as 
a sign of peace, and they allowed him to approach 
them. After he had given each of them a present 
of cloth, two of the old men accompanied him 
back to my camp, and when the others saw that 
they were treated as friends they also came in. 
I amused them by showing them a looking-glass 
and several other things that they had never 
seen before, and explained to them that my object 



VANITY OF THE NATIVES 153 

in coming into the country was to buy food. 
I told them that my idea was to make peace 
among all the natives, as complaints were coming 
in to me every day of raids and murders. It 
was very difficult to understand from their stories 
whether the things complained of had happened 
fifty years before or only the previous day, so 
I advised them to let all those matters drop and 
start again with a clean slate from now, and I 
told them that I would do my best to settle any 
differences that arose in the future. At the 
same time, I impressed upon them that they must 
also help me towards this end, and not go raiding 
and killing each other, telling them that it was 
only savages that settle their quarrels in that 
way. To speak of them as not being savages 
flattered their vanity, and a remarkable thing I 
frequently noticed was that as soon as a native 
became friends with me, or with my followers, 
he immediately called all the rest of the natives 
savages. It was very laughable in some 
instances. I have had one of my own men come 
to tell me that some washenzl (savages) wanted 
to see me, and on going out to see who theiy 
were I would perhaps find that the so-called 
savages were the man's own father and other 
relatives. 

I saw that what I had said about being friendly 
had impressed them, and in the meantime my 
followers had got hold of them and were ex- 



164 JOHN BOYES 

plaining what my policy had done in their own 
country, so that they could see that I was to be 
trusted, and consequently made friends with me. 
After dusk they went home, and it was evident 
that they had given a good report of me, as the 
next day the two principal chiefs of the district, 
Bartier and Henga, came to see me, with about, 
fifty followers. They were both young men and 
very intelligent for savages, dressed in skins, 
but wearing no special finery. I gave them a 
red blanket and a fez each — which was my usual 
present to chiefs — and they immediately put them 
on, wearing the blanket over one shoulder like 
a cloak, the ends being tied on the other shoulder, 
so that only one side of the body was covered. 
The effect, however, was rather picturesque, 
something like the old Roman toga. They were 
very pleased with their new garb, but it had 
the result of getting them into trouble at times 
with the other natives, who looked upon it 
as a badge of their friendship with the white 
man . 

They stayed in the camp nearly all day, and 
were very friendly, explaining the features of 
the country we were going through, and warning 
me against the people of the district of Tato,, 
and their chief Karkerrie, of whom they g-ave 
a very bad account. I asked them if any white 
men had been there before, and they said no, 
though they had heard of white men going 



A KIKUYU RAINMAKER 155 

through the country a very long time ago, but 
not that part of it. 

They brought me some food and told me that 
they had some ivory, and they brought me the 
measurements of several tusks, which they 
promised to bring in the next day ; but although 
we waited, expecting the ivory, it did not come. 
They were all still very friendly, however, and 
so I suggested holding a Pigasangi, but as this 
was more of a national than a local affair, they 
said that it could not be done unless they first 
talked it over with their other people, so I told 
them that we might be able to arrange for the 
ceremony on my homeward journey, and also 
asked them to have the ivory ready so that I 
could buy it then. 

That day we had a visit from the chief rain- 
maker of the Kikuyu country, a tall, fine-looking 
man, who lived some distance from there, but 
seemed to have a roving commission and to be 
able to travel through any part of the country 
without being molested, all the natives being 
afraid of him, as they believed that he could 
bring the rain or stop its coming at will. I 
very well remember his stalking in, because he 
was wearing a red blanket and fez which I had 
given him. On this occasion he arrived, like 
the villain of the play, just as things were going 
well, and at one swoop destroyed all my castles 
in the air by telling the people that it would 



156 JOHN BOYES 

do them no good to make friends with the white 
man, as it would stop the rain and bring various 
other misfortunes upon them. I took no notice, 
but the natives evidently took him seriously and 
I had a lot of trouble with him later on. 

Striking camp early the next morning, we 
trekked farther north towards Mount Kenia, 
where the big chief Wagombi lived. The country 
continued practically the same, thickly populated 
and well cultivated, while here and there we 
could see the sheep and cattle grazing quietly and 
the people working in their shambas (gardens). 
It was hard to believe that I was in the midst 
of savages, and that any minute they might be 
up and cutting one another's throats and my 
own too ; the scene was so peaceful that you 
could have almost imagined yourself amidst the 
quiet surroundings of an English landscape. 

We had halted to give the men a rest, and I 
was having some lunch under the shade of a tree 
— my practice being to start the day with only 
a cup of coffee in the early morning, making 
my lunch about midday my first meal — when 
two or three natives were brought in, who told me 
that they had been sent by a big chief, who 
was also a very powerful witch doctor, named 
Muga-wa-diga,i who begged me to come and 

^ The name Muga-wa-diga means Muga, the son of Diga, 
the syllable wa being the equivalent of the Russian vitch 
or the Scandinavian sen^ as shown in Peter Petrovitch or 



MUGA-WA-DIGA 157 

camp in his village. Of course I was only too 
glad to meet another friendly chief, and asked 
them to take me to his village, where we arrived 
quite early in the afternoon. 

The chief was an old man, very active for 
his years, and far more intelligent than the 
majority of the natives I had met so far. His 
appearance marked him out as a typical witch 
doctor, and I had never before seen any chief 
dressed as he was. His costume was composed 
chiefly of the skins of wild cats, and he wore 
a hat made of the skin of the colobus monkey ; 
round his ankles were the usual iron rattles, 
while two small boys who were with him carried 
calabashes containing various medicines. He had 
evidently started off in something of a hurry to 
meet me on the road, and came up to me without 
any hesitation, shaking hands in a dignified sort 
of way, as if the meeting with a white man was 
an everyday occurrence. After we had ex- 
changed greetings, he conducted me to a suit- 
able place to camp near the village, and also 
introduced me to his wives and children, which 
I thought rather extraordinary for a native 
meeting a white man for the first time. I could 
see that he was very anxious to make friends 

Peter Petersen. In the same way, this syllable is prefixed 
to the names of tribes, as in Wa-Kikuyu (the sons of the 
Kikuyu), Wakamba, though in the latter case it has now 
become an integral part of the name. 



158 JOHN BOYES 

with me, and he got his people to assist mine 
in building the camp, at the same time telling 
us to be very careful when leaving the village 
to collect wood or bring in water, as some of 
the natives were not to be trusted, and he felt 
himself responsible that no one should get killed 
while staying at his place. 

Of course I was always on my guard, and 
ordered my men never to go far from the camp 
without taking some rifles with them, especially 
as I found that my friend the chief rain-maker 
had been there before me, spreading rumours 
of what would happen if they had any dealings 
with me. But Muga-wa-diga was evidently not 
on good terms with the rain -maker, being jealous 
of his power, and this accounted for his being 
so willing to be friendly towards me. 

Finding it a good camp, and being able to 
obtain plenty of food, I decided to stay there 
for some days, and in the meantime to try to 
gather more information about the country and 
people farther on, while at the same time getting 
to know more of the people among whom we 
were camped. 

The chief came to my camp nearly every day, 
and I got a lot of useful information from him. 
One day he brought his medicines with him, 
and explained all about them, which gave me 
a good insight into the art of working magic. 
Medicine, as we understand it, is not the kind 



NATIVE MEDICllSIES 159 

of medicine used by the witch doctor of East 
Africa, who rehes more upon incantations than 
upon the potency of any drugs to doctor thQ 
complaints of those who seek his aid, the ailments 
he is expected to cure being more of a mental 
than a physical nature, as, when a native com- 
plains that some one has given him poisoned y 
medicine, he really means that some one has 
put some spell on him to cause something to 
happen to him. Such is the superstitious nature 
of the savage that, if one has been told that he 
is to die at the end of three days, he will actually 
accept the statement as literally true, and it would 
have such an effect upon him that, unless the 
witch doctor could convince him that he had 
made some medicine powerful enough to counter- 
act the influence of the spell cast over him, he 
would certainly die at the time stated. 

The witch doctor also professed to be able to 
say what was going to happen to any one who 
sought the information from him, the mode of 
procedure in this case being to spread a leopard 
skin on the ground, and turn out upon it the 
contents of a calabash containing a lot of stones, 
lion-claws, arrow-heads, &c. These were counted 
out in sections — somewhat after the style of the 
game children play with plum -stones in England 
—and from the balance remaining after the full 
number of even sections had been completed 
he read the signs. An arrow-head perhaps fore- 



160 JOHN BO YES 

told that the inquirer would be killed with an 
arrow, a lion's claw that he would be killed 
by a lion, and so on. They had also medicines 
for the treatment of physical ailments, and anti- 
dotes for poisons. 

During my visit to Mombasa I had bought 
a medicine -chest, which I always carried with 
me, so I gave the chief a taste of the different 
tabloids, &c. I found that he was very fond 
of pepper and salt, and it was surprising to see 
him take a handful of pepper and eat it up 
without winking. 

The natives were intensely interested in every- 
thing I possessed, and were greatly mystified by 
the trick of drawing the heat from the sun, by 
means of a lens from my field-glasses focused 
on their hands, and it was remarkable how some 
of the warriors would stand the pain without 
making a sign, letting the flesh burn without 
appearing to notice it. 

When I approached the chief on the question 
of a Pigasangi, he promised to talk the matter 
over with his people, and suggested that we 
might also arrange for the ceremony of blood 
brotherhood. 

Whilst staying here I sent a present to Kar- 
kerrie, the chief of Tato, and also one to 
Wagombi. We were a good day's march, in 
different directions, from each of these chiefs, 
and I told my messengers to say that I 



BEE-KEEPING AND NJOHI 161 

was coming into their country on a peaceful 
mission. Muga-wa-diga said that he would 
accompany me to Tato, where, he told me, there 
was a lot of ivory ; so I decided to go to Tato 
first, and then go round to Wagombi's country. 
While at Muga-wa-diga's I made the acquaint- 
ance of a young chief named Katuni, or the Lion, 
who was by far the tallest Kikuyu I had ever 
seen — being considerably over six feet in height 
— and got quite friendly with him, and he brought 
me^ among other things, a lot of honey. All the 
Kikuyu keep bees, and you can see the hives 
hanging on the trees, sometimes five or six on 
a tree, all over the country. The hive is made 
out of a log of wood, hollowed out and shaped 
like a barrel, and the ends are headed up just 
as a barrel would be. They are about five 
feet long by eighteen inches in diameter. The 
natives ferment the honey to make a drink tasting 
very much like sharp cider, which they call njohi, 
and on which they manage to get very drunk, 
as it is highly intoxicating. It is generally made 
in very large quantities when the honey is 
gathered, and the headman of the village sends 
out an invitation to all the old men of the district 
to come in and have a big drinking bout, which 
generally ends in a drunken orgie, when they 
all start quarrelling and fighting with each other. 
The drink is kept in big calabashes, and the 
headman first pours out a hornful, which he 



/ 

162 JOHN BOYES 

spills on the ground, at the same time saying 
" Ngai/' meaning " To God " — a ceremony re- 
minding one of the ancient libations to the gods. 
This function over, the headman first drinks him- 
self, to prove to his guests that there is no poison 
in the brew, and then the general drinking starts. 
A peculiar and somewhat unpleasant habit of 
theirs is to spit on their chests after drinking, 
but the reason for the practice no one could 
tell me. 

I found a similar kind of drink tO' njohi among 
the Abyssinians, who call it tej, and the Kikuyu 
also have another drink, not quite so intoxicating 
as the njohi, and made from sugar-cane instead 
of honey. 

By this time the messengers whom I had sent 
to Karkerrie with presents had returned, so we 
packed up and moved on towards Tato, Katuni 
deciding to accompany me, as well as Muga-wa- 
diga. The country continued thickly inhabited, 
and I noticed that the people seemed to o^wn 
more stock than elsewhere. They did not take 
much notice of us, except on one occasion, when 
about half a dozen old men, who had been 
drinking njohi, greeted us, as we came round 
the shoulder of a hill, with a shower of 
arrows. 

Arriving at last at Karkerrie's village, we were 
met there by the chief himself and some of the 
elders of the tribe. The country had changed 



VALUE OF CATTLE 163 

somewhat as we neared Tato, being less moun- 
tainous, and not so thickly cultivated, but the 
people owned enormous herds of cattle, sheep, 
and goats . They seemed more like the Masai 
than the Kikuyu, and undoubtedly have a good 
deal of Masai blood in their veins. From the 
reports I had heard as to their being such a bad 
lot, I was quite prepared for them to try to 
prevent my entering their country, but, possibly 
because they had heard a lot about me, and also 
on account of my having the medicine man 
Muga-wa-diga and the chief Katuni with me, 
they received me in a friendly way ; so, finding 
a good place near the chief's village, I pitched 
my camp. 

I had brought about fifteen head of cattle with 
me, and, of course, had a lot of trade goods, so 
I opened up negotiations with the chief for some 
ivory. The value of cattle varies right through 
Africa, depending on the number of sheep in the 
country. Among the Kikuyu a cow is reckoned 
to be worth twenty sheep, whilst among the 
Caramoja and Sambura tribes — whom I visited 
later— it goes up as high as sixty sheep. I ex- 
changed the cattle at the rate of twenty sheep, 
for each, and when the natives came in with the 
ivory, I would give, say, the value of twenty sheep 
for a tusk measuring two hands. Ten rings of 
iron wire, or so many hands of cloth, equalled a 
sheep ; so that if I bought ivory to the value of 



164 JOHN BOYES 

twenty sheep, I would give perhaps five sheep 
only and the rest in trade goods. 

The iron wire used in these transactions was 
abdut the thickness of an ordinary telegraph wire, 
while the rings, ten of which were the value of 
a sheep, would be about nine inches in diameter, 
ten of them equivalent in value to about a shilling 
of our money. The standard value of a hand 
of ivory, in Karkerrie's country, was thus ten 
sheep, or a hundred rings of iron wire, or sixty 
hands of cloth. In Wagombi's country the prices 
were about half these, so that there a tusk 
weighing from twenty-five to thirty pounds could 
be bought for about a sovereign and, even 
allowing for the cost of transport, &c., at an 
average price of about nine shillings per pound \ 
there was a fairly good profit to be made on 
the deal . In the Wanderobo country, where most 
of the ivory was in the form of the heavier tusks 
of the bull elephant — that at Karkerrie's and 
■Wagombi's being mostly from the females — I 
usually gave a bullock for a tusk weighing from 
eighty to ninety pounds. 

A few details of the native system of measure- 
ment may be of interest. The hand, which is 
their standard of lineal measure, varies with the 
commodity to which it is applied, but in no case 
is it the same as our hand of four inches. In 
selling ivory the hand is the length of the fore- 
arm from the elbow, with the fist doubled. In 



IVORY IN PLENTY 165 

measuring ivory a liberal allowance is made for 
the hollow portion at the root of the tusk,^ and 
also for the point, neither of which are reckoned 
in the length. In buying or selling cloth the 
hand is practically the same as our yard, being 
measured from the centre of the chin to the 
tip of the fingers, with the arm stretched out. 

Things were progressing very favourably, and 
there was any amount of ivory to be had, and I 
was buying it at the rate of two or three tusks a 
day, and at eight to ten shillings a pound each 
tusk would be worth from £ i o to £ i 5 . I was 
at first at a loss to account for so much ivory 
being in the country, as the natives there do 
not hunt the elephant, but I found that the 
Wanderobo tribe, who live on the outskirts of 
the country, are great hunters ; in fact, they 
live entirely by hunting ; and the elephants 
wounded by them, and getting away, seek 
cover in the forest, where many of them 
die of their wounds, the wounds being made 
by poisoned weapons. The Kikuyu, going into 
the forest to find wild honey, find the ivory, 
and as no trader had been to the country .to buy 
it before, this accounted for the quantity to be 
had on my first visit. These facts may also 
account for the remarkable stories one comes 

' The elephant tusk is more or less hollow for a third 
of its length at the thick end, measured when extracted 
from the skull. 



166 JOHN BO\^ES 

across sometimes of " elephant cemeteries." i 
Certainly, in a long and varied experience of 
elephant -hunting in various parts of Africa I 
have never come across anything but the slaughter 
caused by the hand of man which could account 
for these so-called cemeteries, nor have any of the 
elephant-hunters I have met — and I know all the 
chief ones — been able to confirm the '* cemetery " 
yarn . 

One day Karkerrie and his elders came across 
to see me, being curious to know all about the 
white man and his various possessions. Among 
other things in my outfit, I had brought with me 
a musical clock, which, instead of striking the 
hour, played a tune, and this I had in my tent. 
After I had been talking to the chief for some 
time, the hour came round and the clock struck 
up a lively tune. They could not understand 
this, and thought there must be magic about 
it, so I told them that I could make it speak 
whenever I wished, and, unnoticed, moved the 
lever. When the hands came round to the hour, 
I said, " Now I will make it play a tune." It so 
happened that rain had been expected, and as 



^ A traveller some years since, having come across large 
quantities of elephants' skulls and bones collected together in 
one place, started the theory that elephants came to particular 
spots to die. The probability is that such places are scenes 
of the destruction of a herd by slaughter. (See P. H. 
G. Powell -Cotton's " In Unknown Africa," 1904.) 



ANOTHER PLOT 167 

the clock was playing a few drops came. Look- 
ing up into the sky, they saw the rain, and at 
once turned to me and asked if the clock could 
make rain, so I said, " Certainly, it makes rain 
all right." They said that it must be a great 
thing if it could make rain, and seeing that these 
things seemed to amuse them, I showed them a 
few sleight-of-hand tricks — never dreaming that 
they took what I said seriously. 

The next day Karkerrie turned up, and said 
that rain was absolutely necessary, and I must 
make some for them. I said that the best thing 
they could do was to bring in plenty of ivory, 
and go on trading, and the rain would come 
of itself, as it was not possible for anybody — 
white or black — to make it rain. They kept 
bothering me every day, however, to make it 
rain, and I kept putting them off with the excuse 
that the rain was coming all right. But, unfor- 
tunately, it did not come, and from believing 
that I could make rain they turned to thinking 
that I was keeping it away with the clock, and 
things began to look threatening. The natives 
would not bring in any more ivory, and I heard 
rumours that the warriors were coming to attack 
my camp. In the meantime, unknown to me, 
there was a plot on foot to murder me, in which, 
as I found out afterwards, one of my own men 
was mixed up. It afterwards appeared that he 
was a native of the very district in which we 



168 JOHN BOYES 

now were, but had been taken away in some 
raid to where I had first met with him. 

None of the natives came near me, but I knew 
by the singing, and shouting, and feasting, that 
something unusual was in the wind, and took the 
precaution of having every man on guard, and 
slept myself fully dressed, with my rifle handy, 
so as to be ready for any emergency. One pitch- 
dark night about eight or nine o'clock, a day or 
two after I had noticed the change of attitude 
on the part of the natives, the crisis came. There 
had been an ominous stillness around the camp 
for some time, when suddenly the air was rent 
by a wild uproar, and we heard the war-cry of 
the tribe spreading from village to village, 
mingled with the shrieking of women and 
children. Over all the din the hideous howl of 
the hyenas could be distinguished. These 
animals seem to realize when there is a feast 
of human flesh in store for them, and at the 
sound of the native war-cry, which warns them 
of a fight being at hand, they are always on 
the alert. The natives never bury their dead, 
but leave them for the hyenas to eat. 

All doubts as to the object of this demonstra- 
tion were removed by the cries of " Kill the 
white man ! " which could be heard above the 
other sounds resounding in the stillness of the 
night, and it may be imagined that my feelings 
were somewhat mixed — planted there out in the 



"KILL THE WHITE MAN!" 169 

wilds as I was, with a crowd of yelling savages 
anxious to cut my throat swarming round my 
camp. The darkness added a good deal to the 
natural feeling of uneasiness, and I certainly did 
not feel very sanguine as to the outcome of this 
hostile demonstration ; but all that I could do 
was to see that a strict watch was being kept, 
and make the best preparations I could to keep 
the enemy out if they should attack the camp. 
It was quite useless to think of packing up and 
clearing out, as we should have been pretty 
certain to have lost our way in the darkness, 
and have run a greater risk of being killed in the 
morning. Further, to have shown the white 
feather in this way now would have meant 
abandoning my project of going up into the 
country, and I was by no means disposed to give 
up my project. So I set to work as well as I 
could to build a kind of fort, using the boxes 
of trade goods, and anything else I could get, to 
make barricades. Having got all my people in- 
side the enclosure, I warned them not to move 
out of it on any consideration, telling them nojt 
to be afraid, as we should come out of it all 
right. All the spare ammunition was placed ready 
to hand, and we were prepared for the attack 
when it should come. 

In the meantime, the uproar among the natives 
had died down and given place to an almost 
oppressive stillness, only broken now and then 



170 JOHN BOYES 

by a faint rustling, which told us that the savages 
were moving about just outside the fort, and, 
although we could not see them, we instinctively 
felt that we were being surrounded. The sen- 
sation of knowing that the enemy were creeping 
up all round us was a good deal more trying 
to the nerves than all the previous noise and 
•shouting had been, and it was difficult to remain 
inactive as the time dragged on and no move 
was made against us. I kept the men at work, 
strengthening the fort, and while they were thus 
engaged word was brought to me that the chief, 
Karkerrie, had been seen, fully armed, going to 
join a body of the natives who were collected 
some distance away. Acting on the spur of the 
moment, I called a couple of men, and made 
my way quietly out of the fort, with the object 
of intercepting him, if possible. I was just in 
time to waylay him before he moved off, and 
jumping on him before he was aware .of my 
presence, I made him a prisoner, and carried 
him back to the fort. This was a piece of rare 
good-fortune, and my spirits rose in consequence. 
Waiting for the attack, however, was weary, 
monotonous work, so I went round to each man 
separately, to give him a word of encouragement, 
and especially to pass away the time. It was 
then that I found that one of my men was miss- 
ing from his post, and it was soon evident that 
he had deserted. In the morning this man had 



WAITING FOR ATTACK 171 

been on guard over my tent, and I had then 
noticed that his bearing was careless, and had 
taken him to task for his lax appearance. I had 
trained all my men to do things in a soldierly 
manner, and the leisurely way in which he was 
moving about had attracted my attention. On 
my speaking to him, and telling him to walk 
about properly, and not to go slouching along 
as he was then doing, he smiled in a way that 
annoyed me, so I took his rifle away from him, 
telling him that he would have to carry a load, 
as he was not fit for a soldier. It was the 
memory of this incident that made me think of 
the fellow, and miss him when I was going the 
round of the sentries, and though I made 
inquiries, no one seemed to know where he was. 
I thought, at the moment, that he had deserted 
on account of my taking his rifle from him, and 
gave no more thought to the matter. 

The night dragged on, without any attack 
being made, and about four or five o'clock in the 
morning we could tell, by the different noises 
heard, and the sound of whispering that fre- 
quently reached us, that we were surrounded by 
Karkerrie's people, who were only waiting for 
the first peep of dawn to blot us all out. It 
was evident that the critical moment was at hand, 
and that it was time for me to act in some. way; 
so I spoke to Karkerrie, telling him that we were 
surrounded by his people, and that immediately 



172 JOHN BOYES 

they attacked us, or even fired into the camp, 
he would be the first man to die. To further 
convince him that I was thoroughly in earnest, 
I placed my revolver to his head, and told him 
that at the first sign of an attack I should fire. 
The chief had a pretty good regard for his own 
skin, and, being quite satisfied that I should 
carry out my threat, he at once shouted to his 
followers, and told them of the position he was 
in. Fortunately, his words, to all appearance, 
had the desired effect, though the Kikuyu were 
at first considerably surprised to find that their 
chief was inside the fort, and were, no doubt, 
badly at a loss to account for his presence there. 
He had, however, evidently sufficient power over 
them for his orders to be respected, and they 
gradually drew off, and things quieted down once 
again. When daylight came, we could tell by 
the spoor on the ground, and the way everything 
had been trodden down, that the fort must have 
been surrounded by thousands of natives during 
the night. 

Karkerrie having assured me that no further 
attack should be made, and repeated his pro- 
fessions of friendship, I set him at liberty, and 
things resumed their normal aspect. To see 
the natives going about as usual made it difii- 
cult to realize that I and my people had been 
so nearly wiped out. Nevertheless, I did not 
trust the chief, and had spies secretly watching 



INCIDENT OF A CLOCK 173 

Jiis movements, and ready to warn me of the 
slightest sign of treachery. This same Karkerrie, 
soon after the country was taken over by the 
Government, finding that the new Administration 
were apparently unable to cope with the raiding 
of Wagombi and some of the other chiefs, took 
advantage of the apparent slackness of the Ad- 
ministration to attack a safari belonging to some 
Indian traders, and looted their goods. But in 
this instance he had gone a little too far, and 
an expedition was sent up to capture him, and 
he was deported to Kismayu, a hot, unhealthy 
spot on the coast. He did not long survive 
the effects of the climate, and the change in 
position in life from a powerful autocratic chief 
to a closely guarded prisoner. There is now a 
fort and Government station at his old place 
at Nyeri, where I had first come across him. 

Although the clock had undoubtedly played 
a great part in provoking the natives to attack 
me, yet it must be remembered, 'in the first place, 
that they were very much averse to any white 
man coming into their country; and, further, 
being boundary natives — that is, natives living on 
the boundary of the country — they were naturally 
much more warlike than the tribes farther 
in the interior. They were used to fighting prac- 
tically every day of their lives, and accustomed 
to resent the coming of any strangers into their 
country. The manner of my coming among 



174 JOHN BOYES 

them, so quietly, with the chief Katuni, and 
Muga-wa-diga, the witch doctor, had made them, 
for the moment, overlook their natural antipathy 
to a stranger, and they hardly knew how to 
attack me. They probably regretted having 
allowed me to come into the country so quietly, 
and the incident of the clock gave them the 
excuse for which they were looking to vent their 
natural enmity towards the stranger on me. This 
uprising had also happened before I had been 
able to get thoroughly acquainted with them, 
and consequently I had acquired no influence 
over them. I found that they had actually 
arranged a plot to kill me, which was to have 
been started by the man who had deserted from 
my camp. How it was to have been carried out I 
never learned, but it is most probable that he 
was to shoot me, and the fact of my having 
taken his rifle away upset all their plans. Cer- 
tainly they had sufficient inducement to wish to 
get me out of the way, as many of them, no 
doubt, had cast covetous eyes on the quantity 
of trade goods and cattle I had with me. They 
would not have hesitated to kill me for such a 
store of loot, as they were accustomed to kill 
Arab traders passing through the country. I 
had not omitted to show them everything I had 
for trade, as an inducement to them to bring 
in the ivory. They naturally all took a great 
fancy to my possessions, but they had not all got 



CATTLE STOLEN 175 

ivory to trade for them, and an attack would have 
given a splendid excuse to loot the whole outfit. 

I pitched my camp again as usual, and went 
about as if nothing had happened, and the natives 
came to trade, and mixed with my people as 
before ; but I was never off my guard, and 
always carried my revolver with me wherever I 
went. 

Going on with my trading, I sent two or three 
cows out in different directions to be exchanged 
for sheep. It may have been a foolish thing 
to do, but I let the cows go out of my camp 
without sending any of my own men with them. 
I had done the same thing before, and the sheep 
had always been brought in, and it never 
occurred to me that it might not be so again ; but 
on this occasion it happened otherwise : the 
sheep did not come in, and the natives refused 
to return the cattle. I was rather at a loss how 
to act, I had such a lot of ivory in the camp. 
I did not know whether it would be best to leave 
the camp and go after the cattle, or what to 
do. Whatever I did, however, must be done 
quickly, so I decided to leave a few men in 
camp — about ten askari and fifty Kikuyu — and 
go after the cattle. The most remarkable thing 
about the affair was that the cattle had been 
taken to exchange for sheep in charge of Kar- 
kerrie's own men, and his son, and some of the 
men who went with him, had come back 



176 JOHN BO YES 

'wounded, saying that they had lost the cattle. 
It was therefore now for me to find out what 
had really happened, and to recover the cattle. 
The wounded men were not fit to go out to 
show^ me the place where the fight had taken 
place, but another of Karkerrie's men offered 
to come with me and do so, so I saddled up my 
mule, and started off ahead of the main body 
of my men to the scene of the fight. On 
arriving there I found the place absolutely 
deserted, but, standing on a hill some little dis- 
tance away, shouting and defying me, was a 
crowd of natives, who, however, did not attempt 
to come any nearer. As my own temper by this 
time was pretty well worked up, I pushed on 
till I got pretty close to them. They did not 
shift, so I slackened my pace to allow my own 
men to come up, and then advanced together 
to within about one hundred paces of them. 
Seeing, from their attitude and gestures, that 
they were preparing for a rush down on us, we 
fired a volley into them ; several were killed, 
and a good many others must have been 
wounded. This apparently satisfied them, and 
they did not attempt to put up a fight, but ran 
away, shouting for their friends to help them to 
kill us. Realizing that it was useless to try to 
get the cows back from these people, and feeling 
rather uneasy about my own camp, I thought it 
advisable to return and see what was going on 



A BESIEGED CAMP 177 

there ; so I hurried back, and on nearing the 
camp I heard a lot of shouting and row going 
on. Being on my mule, I was able to push on 
quicker, and got ahead of the rest to see what 
was the matter, my men following as fast as 
they could. At the same time, I kept a sharp 
look out as I went on either side, in case there 
might be an ambush, and at intervals I fired 
my revolver into the bushes. On getting in 
sight of the camp, I found it was besieged by 
a crowd of howling savages, who, I soon dis- 
covered, were not Karkerrie's men, but some 
natives from another tribe. Seeing me approach, 
and hearing my shout to encourage my men, they 
ceased the attack, and cleared off promptly into 
the bush. I found that two or three of my 
men had been slightly wounded by arrows, but 
none had been killed ; while the other side had 
suffered pretty severely, quite a number of them 
having been killed. It appeared that these 
natives had heard of my absence, and thought it 
would be a good opportunity to attack the camp 
and get some loot. They had come upon it in 
a solid mass, and my men had only just man- 
aged to keep them at bay till we came up ; in 
fact, the camp was practically surrounded when 
I got there, and it was impossible for the 
defenders to have held out much longer. For- 
tunately, I returned in time to prevent the enemy 
entering the camp, or all would have been lost. 



178 JOHN BOYES 

The unfriendly natives having made them- 
selves scarce, we settled down into camp again, 
and once more things began to go along in the old 
routine, as if we had had no unusual happenings. 

That day the long-expected rain came, and 
with it a remarkable change in the manner of 
the people towards me . The day after they came 
in with lots of ivory and brought me presents 
of sheep and goats, telling me that I was a 
very great man, as I could fight and also make 
rain. They firmly believed that I was re- 
sponsible for the coming of the rain, and asked 
m.e to live there altogether, offering to build a 
house for me and do anything I wished if I 
would only stay among them. Of course, I told 
them that I could not stay with them, and soon 
after brought my visit to Karkerrie to a close. 

Having a lot of ivory, which I did not want 
to carry about the country with me, I secretly 
buried it at the edge of the forest, my inten- 
tion being to go on to Wagombi, the big chief 
living at the foot of Mount Kenia. Before I 
left all the natives were on the best of terms 
with me, and said that they were willing to 
Pigasangi, while the chief Karkerrie expressed 
his willingness to make blood brotherhood with 
me. Katuni and Muga-wa-diga had returned to 
their villages some time previous to my de- 
parture from Karkerrie's, and I learned after- 
wards that news of the happenings at Tato had 



TANA RIVER 179 

reached my headquarters and that we had all 
been reported as killed. 

I had heard a lot of talk about Wagombi, and 
was very anxious to visit him and, if possible, 
make friends with him, as my aim was to get 
all that country under control and put a stop to 
the fighting and bloodshed, so that it would be 
safe for caravans to pass through it and trade. 
The natives were beginning to see that I had 
their interests at heart and were beginning to 
like me. All the way along I had made friends, 
and I had hopes that, by m^eans of the Pigasangi 
and blood brotherhood, I might get all the chiefs 
friendly and at peace with one another. The 
three ruling chiefs at that time were Karuri, Kar- 
kerrie, and Wagombi, and I felt that if I could 
once get these three to make friends I should 
soon be able to make the petty chiefs stop their 
squabbling. I had already got a friendly under- 
standing with the two first -named chiefs, but 
Wagombi was by far the biggest and most influ- 
ential of the three, and if I could get him to 
come in the matter was settled and the country 
too. My success, so far, was undoubtedly due 
to my having Kikuyu natives with me as my 
followers. Without them I should probably 
never have achieved anything at all, but the fact 
of my having what were practically their own 
people with me gave the chiefs I met confidence 
in me. 



180 



JOHN BOYES 



I parted on the best of terms with Karkerrie, 
and set out for Wagombi's country. The country 
•we were now passing through was much more 
sparsely inhabited, and we camped the first night 
at the headwaters of the Tana River, where, 
although no natives came to see me, I took the 
usual precautions for guarding the camp. Very 
shortly afterwards these precautions were amply 
justified, and I was made to realize that I was 
by no means in an entirely friendly country yet. 
Some of my men, going down without a guard 
to fetch water, were attacked by natives, and 
three of them speared to death. They had 
evidently been ambushed while going through 
a shamba by some natives who had immediately 
•cleared off, and, though I made inquiries and 
found traces of a good many feet in the shamba, 
the murderers themselves were nowhere visible. 
We buried the three bodies that afternoon, and 
had no more disturbance during the night. The 
next morning we had struck camp for the final 
stage of the march to Wagombi's when we saw 
a lot of natives doing a war-dance and shout- 
ing. Going to inquire what it was all about, I 
found that they had dug up the bodies of the 
three men we had buried the previous day, and 
were having a war-dance over them ; so, turn- 
ing away from such a gruesome spectacle, we 
resumed our march. 

I had, of course, already sent messages on to 



WAGOMBI 181 

Wagombi, to let him know that I was coming, and 
the news had spread among his own people that I 
was on the way to pay him a visit. Wagombi 
himself had come out a considerable distance 
to meet me, about ten miles from his own village . 
I found him a fine, tall fellow, in his beadring 
and appearance every inch a chief, and in his 
speech a good deal more brisk than any other 
Kikuyu I had met. He greeted me very 
heartily, shaking hands in the usual Kikuyu 
fashion— first spitting in the palm— and had quite 
a lot to say about himself and the country. He 
had with him quite a young lad, about ten years 
old, whom he introduced as his son and 
successor, and who seemed a very bright little 
fellow, of whom the chief appeared to be very 
proud. This lad is at the present time the chief 
of that district . 

Wagombi brought no other followers with him 
but two or three old men. He himself wore a 
robe of monkey-skins, and was without any head- 
dress, while he carried a huge spear. As we pro- 
ceeded towards the village he told me that he 
had heard a lot about me, and was very pleased 
to meet me. He said that he knew he had a 
very bad reputation for his treatment of people 
passing through his country, but that he was 
anxious to make friends with me, and was pleased 
that I had not brought any Arabs or Swahili 
with me, as he did not want any people of that 



182 JOHN BOYES 

sort in his country, and would kill the lot of them . 
Being some distance ahead of my party, and 
noticing that we were meeting large numbers 
of warriors as we went along the road, I sent 
word back to my people to keep a sharp look 
out, and told the chief about my men having 
been murdered at the last camp. He said tharT 
it had been done by his people all right, but that 
they had been acting absolutely on their own ; 
in fact, he had sent messengers along our road 
to tell them not to interfere with us in any way, 
so that what had happened had been entirely 
against his wishes, and he meant to find out 
who had done it and punish them. 

By the time we had got to his place we had 
quite a big following, and one old man who 
joined us by the way must have been the chief's 
medicine man, as when he first met us he killed 
a sheep on the road, and at every stream we 
crossed he sprinkled a little of the dung taken 
from the sheep's intestines on the river bank 
and in the stream . ( This practice figures largely 
in the superstitious rites of the Kikuyu.) He 
also sprinkled some on the road as we went 
along, at the same time shouting a lot of 
gibberish. He had previously cut two rings out 
of the skin of a sheep, and given them to the 
chief and myself to wear on our right arms, a 
custom which, it seemed, was a sign of 
friendship. 



MOUNT KENIA 183 

Wagombi's kraal was right at the top of a 
smaller mountain which rises at the foot of Mount 
Kenia, and from this vantage-ground a splendid 
view could be obtained of the country for many 
miles around. The morning after our arrival I 
had an opportunity of taking in the full beauty 
of the scene from our lofty situation. Spread 
out as far as the eye could reach was a panoramic 
view of the Kikuyu country through which I 
had travelled, showing the glittering streams 
threading their way through deep valleys, the 
hills on either side being clothed with trees, and 
dotted here and there with villages ; while, where 
the country was more open, cattle and sheep 
could be seen quietly grazing, and the cultivated 
clearings could be seen at intervals. Viewed 
as a whole, the landscape presented a rugged 
appearance, with deep clefts between the moun- 
tains, innumerable streams, and thick forest land ; 
while between the mountains on the right could 
be dimly made out the edge of the Laikipia 
Plain. We were on the lower slopes of Kenia, 
and for a considerable distance up the mountain 
is clothed with a thick forest, so dense that, 
except in a few places, it is quite impenetrable. 

The most careless mind must be awed by the 
majesty of Mount Kenia, as the eye ranges over 
its huge bulk, from the wooded slopes near the 
foot to its summit, rising many thousands of 
feet in the air, crowned with a circle of per- 



184 JOHN BOYES 

petual snow, glistening in the rays of the sun. 
Surrounded by Nature in her grandest form, 
Wagombi might be pardoned for a conscious 
pride in his magnificent heritage, which, owing 
nothing to the art of the landscape gardener, 
yet far surpassed the beauties of any estate to 
be found in the civilized countries of the world. 

I found that Wagombi had a number of rifles, 
and ammunition for them as well, and all the 
rifles were in good order. He told me he had 
got them from the Wakamba, Arabs, Swahili, 
and that class of people. Describing the Swahili 
as a foolish lot of people, who attempted to come 
through his country without taking any precau- 
tions, he made no scruple of killing them, and 
of taking anything they had. One thing I liked 
about the chief was his absolute straightforward- 
ness about everything. He made no attempt 
to hide anything, but would tell you quite frankly 
about all his affairs, contrary to the usual practice 
of the nigger. 

While we were camped there thousands of 
warriors came to see us, and they came stalking 
into the camp in such numbers that it was abso- 
lutely impossible to try to keep them out, as 
it could not have been done without using force, 
and that would have upset everything. Pre- 
viously in travelling through the country I had 
always kept men on guard to prevent any one 
coming into the camp unless first disarmed, but 



MY FENCED FORT 185 

here they came in by hundreds, and I could 
not keep them out. Knowing Wagombi's reputa- 
tion, I thought he might be trying the confidence 
trick on me by appearing so friendly, and took 
steps accordingly. 

I told Wagombi that I should like to build a 
camp, as it was rather cold, and asked him to 
get some of his people to help me. He said 
he would be only too pleased, and the next day 
his men started bringing in wood and grass ; 
and I then got a lot of them started building 
a house, and told the chief that it was the white 
man's custom to put a fence round. As he made 
no objection, I marked off a big open space 
round the house, my real intention being to build 
a kind of small fort ; but it was more politic 
to say that I wanted to build a house, as it 
roused no suspicion as to my real intention. I 
had it all planned out in my head, and first of 
all had a big circular fence built, just high 
enough to stand and shoot over. I then told 
the chief that I had not built this fence high 
enough, and should have to build another inside 
it, and as he raised no objection again, I built 
another, seven or eight feet high inside the first, 
so that I now had a double fence all round, the 
entrance to the first being at quite a different 
point to that of the second. This form of 
structure would be a great advantage in case 
of attack, as it would be necessary, after entering 



186 JOHN BOYES 

the first fence, to walk some distance round 
before coming to the entrance to the second, 
and it would give us a chance, in case of a 
rush, of shooting the intruders before they had 
a chance of getting into the inner circle of the 
fort. I also built a tower about thirty feet high, 
which made an excellent look-out, and had the 
advantage of enabling the defenders to cover 
any portion of the fort with their rifles. The 
plan aroused no suspicion, and they probably 
thought that it was the way white men's houses 
were usually built. 

I was rather proud of my tower, and a brief 
description of it may interest the reader, so I 
will give it. It was, of course, constructed of 
wood. Taking four strong poles for the 
corner-posts, I lashed cross-pieces between them, 
diagonally, on each side with bark or fibre -rope, 
which is very strong and lasts for years, anjd 
on the top of this framework I built a platform, 
and above the platform I repeated the process, 
so that the tower was really a double -storied 
building, with an arrangement of ladders to reach 
the upper portion. Wagombi thought that the 
way I had built the house was quite a good 
idea, and remarked in a quiet way, " What a 
good thing it would be to keep a rush of the 
savages out ! " Curiously enough, by '* savages " 
he meant his own people. I expect he tumbled 
to my object, as he was a fellow who had all 



PIGASANGI 187 

his wits about him, but he made no further com- 
ment. My rule had always been never to 
neglect any precautions, whether the natives were 
friendly or otherwise ; and so far I had pulled 
through all right. Experience had taught me 
that to do things in a dilatory or careless fashion 
was to put temptation in their way, so I never 
took the risk. 

I camped at Wagombi's for a considerable 
time, and he told me that they had some ivory, 
and on my expressing a wish to trade the ivory 
came in plentifully, while the price was quite 
different to what I had paid at Tato, being very 
much cheaper— almost given away, in fact, in 
comparison. In the meanwhile I frequently 
invited Wagombi to my place, and taught him 
to drink tea. His headman also came to see 
me, and we got to be on very friendly terms. 
After a time the chief mentioned blood brother- 
hood, and asked me if I was agreeable to join 
him in the ceremony. I said I thought it would 
be a very good thing, and then told him about 
Muga-wa-diga and Karkerrie, and suggested that 
it would be a grand thing if we could all make 
blood brotherhood together. I particularly 
wanted to pull this off, as it would make 
all the chiefs friendly with one another, and I 
should then have them under my control. 

Later on I managed to arrange the ceremony 
of Pigasangi, which, as I have explained, is much 



188 JOHN BOYES 

more of a national affair. Of course, I first 
suggested this to Wagombi, but did not manage 
to get his consent without a lot of trouble, and 
after going very fully into an explanation as 
to why I was so anxious to bring it about. He 
had a very strong objection to blood brother- 
hood with Karkerrie and Muga-wa-diga, and 
took a lot of talking round ; in fact, I only 
managed the matter eventually by the aid of 
presents. 



'flBI 



CHAPTER VIII 

The Wanderobo — Visit from the Wanderobo chief — Native 
bartering — A grand meeting of surrounding tribes for blood 
brotherhood under my auspices — Dancing frenzy — Native 
ideas of a future life — Again trek for the unknown — 
Attacked by natives — Chief's admonition — Decide to visit 
the Wanderobo chief Olomondo — ^Wanderobo gluttony — 
The honey bird — Wanderobo methods of hunting — Massacre 
of a Goanese safari — My narrow escape — General uprising of 
hostile tribes — Rise of the Chinga tribe against me — My 
precarious position — Successful sally and total defeat of the 
enemy — My blood brother, the Kikuyu chieftain, comes to 
my aid with thousands of armed men — Total extinction of 
the Chinga people 

DURING my stay at Wagombi's another 
chief turned up, who proved to be a 
man named Olomondo, chief of the 
Wanderobo tribe. The Wanderobo are a race 
of hunters, who Uve entirely by hunting, and 
inhabit the country round Mount Kenia and on 
the great plain adjoining Wagombi's country, 
down towards the Guasa Nyero River. Olo- 
mondo came to see me, and, according to the 
custom of the country, brought me a present 
of honey. It is always customary when making 
a visit to a stranger to bring a present, and the 

189 



190 JOHN BOYES 

recipient is himself expected to return the com- 
pliment by giving a present of at least an equal 
value to the one he has received. This man 
was plainly quite a different type of native to 
Wagombi's people, being rather sharp -featured 
and practically the same as the Masai. I found 
out, in the course of conversation, that his clan 
numbered about six hundred men, besides women 
and children, and that their kraal was about two 
days' march to the north-west of us. He men- 
tioned the Maswatch-wanya, and told me that 
in the course of his hunting he had seen these 
pigmy people, but had never got into communica- 
tion with them. It was Wagombi's boast that 
Mount Kenia belonged to him and the Wan- 
derobo were his people, and joined him if there 
was a fight. I afterwards found that they were 
a very timid people, but, judging from the quality 
of their weapons, I should imagine that they 
could put up a good fight, Olomondo's bow and 
arrows being much larger and stronger than those 
of the Kikuyu, which were like toys in com- 
parison, while as a proof of their ability to use 
them, I saw Olomondo put an arrow clean 
through an antelope as big as a sheep. He 
invited me out to his camp, saying that he had 
some ivory for sale, and also saying that there 
was any amount of game out on the plain, and 
asking me to go hunting with him. This I 
promised to do later on. Incidentally, he com- 



A DEADLOCK 191 

plained of the Kikuyu getting his ivory, as many 
of the elephants his people wounded strayed away 
and died in the forest, and the Kikuyu would find 
their bodies and take the ivory. I told him 
that I was afraid I could not do anything in 
the matter, as it was quite impossible to trace 
the ivory. The Wanderobo knew the commer- 
cial value of ivory, and had sold it to the Arab 
and Swahili traders. 

After some discussion it was arranged that 
Olomondo should make blood brotherhood with 
me at the same time as the other chiefs, and the 
difficulty then arose as to where the ceremony 
should take place. Wagombi, being the 
biggest chief, naturally wanted it to take , place 
at Mount Kenia, but on messages being sent to 
Karkerrie and Muga-wa-diga, they refused to 
come to Wagombi's, saying that they were 
enemies of each other, and that they had no 
guarantee that they would not be murdered on 
the way. I then suggested to Wagombi that he 
should send them each a present of a goat or a 
sheep, but he said that he would sooner eat 
them himself. He was a bigger man than either 
of the other chiefs, and it was for them to send 
him a present first. For some time there was a 
deadlock, but I finally got out of the difficulty 
by asking Wagombi if he would give me the 
presents. He replied, " Certainly, you can have 
a hundred if you like. My place is yours, take 



192 JOHN BOYES 

anything you want." I said that I did not want 
anything out of the ordinary ; if he would give 
me one or two sheep, that was all that I wanted ; 
so he had the sheep brought in. I then said, " All 
right, you have given me these sheep, I can do 
anything I like with them." He replied, " Yes, 
they are yours, I have given them to you." So 
I then told him that I intended to send one sheep 
to Karkerrie and one to Muga-wa-diga, telling 
them that they were presents from him and 
myself, and I also arranged with them that we 
should meet about half-way, and selected a place 
for the ceremony. Eventually they all agreed 
to this and the day was fixed. 

The site I had chosen formed a natural amphi- 
theatre, and was a spot I had noted on my way 
to Wagombi's from Tato. It was an open space, 
which I was told was used at certain times as 
a market-place, and I had an opportunity later 
on of seeing one of these markets held. On that 
occasion hundreds of natives collected there for 
the purpose of exchangingi their various goods. 
The noise of haggling and bargaining was terrific. 
One thing I noticed was that there was no live- 
stock in the market, but all other kinds of 
produce were to be seen, and it was amusing to 
watch a couple of old women arguing as to how 
many sweet potatoes ought to be exchanged for 
so many beans. One crowd would have loads 
of calabashes, while another would be selling 




I- 



.-i- 



A NATIVE MARKET-PLACE 193 

piles of cooking-pots made of a sort of clay, 
only to be found in certain parts of the country, 
which was especially suitable for that purpose ; 
while in another part of the market large quan- 
tities of the red ochre — or siriga, as it is called 
— which the natives used for painting their bodies 
was to be had. Another peculiar thing I 
noticed was the selling of the native drink njohi, 
in exchange for a hornful of which I saw a native 
pay over a hornful of beans. Having no money, 
everything was bought and sold by means of a 
system of barter, which was not accomplished 
without much arguing and haggling, everybody 
gesticulating and shouting at once. 

It was on the site of this market -ground that 
the ceremony of blood brotherhood was to take 
place, and it was looked upon as a great event 
in the country, and the occasion for much feast- 
ing and rejoicing. Thousands of the natives 
attended, each chief bringing a large crowd of 
followers, while all the tribes in the neighbour- 
hood were fully represented, but no women or 
children were present. Wagombi took quite a 
large number of his people, and I took the bulk 
of mine, leaving only a few in charge of the 
camp ; while Olomondo, the Wanderobo chief, 
had about ten of his men with him. An immense 
crowd had already gathered when we arrived, 
Karkerrie and Muga-wa-diga — each attended by 
hundreds of warriors — having got there in 



194 JOHN BOYES 

advance of us. It was a stirring spectacle to 
see these thousands of warriors gathered together 
in all their savage glory, their bodies elaborately 
painted and oiled, and each man armed with 
spear and shield, while their dress of skins added 
to their savage appearance. The natives were 
for the most part standing about, but a few of 
the older men were sitting down talking matters 
over, and our arrival was greeted with shouting 
and singing. Such an event as this was, of course, 
entirely new to them, nothing like it having 
ever taken place before in the Kikuyu country, 
and as it was through my influence that it had 
been brought about, I was naturally the centre 
of interest. I had the Union Jack with me as 
usual, and as we advanced there was a lull in 
the conversation, and all became quiet and 
expectant. 

Noticing that some had already begun drinking 
njohi, I advised the chiefs that it would be much 
better to leave the drinking until their return to 
their homes, because, as all these natives had 
previously been hostile to each other, and know- 
ing the native character, I was afraid that they 
would be getting drunk and starting to quarrel, 
which would spoil everything. The chiefs readily 
fell in with my suggestion, and at once put a 
stop to the drinking. At my suggestion also, all 
the weapons were placed on the ground, the 
warriors depositing their swords and spears in 



BLOOD BROTHERHOOD 195 

heaps, which four of my men were told off to 
guard. 

When all the people were grouped round in a 
circle, with the chief actors in the middle, I 
addressed them through an interpreter, and ex- 
plained the object of the gathering, telling them 
that they were met together on friendly terms 
to make blood brotherhood with the chiefs of 
the country, and that it was for this reason that 
they had been asked to lay aside their weapons. 
While this was going on a fire had been lighted, 
and a sheep was brought in and killed. Each 
chief supplemented what I had said with some 
words to the same effect — the old witch doctor, 
Muga-wa-diga, being the most loquacious, and 
taking full advantage of the opportunity thus 
afforded him of indulging his vanity — and then 
the chief orators of the tribes voiced their 
opinions in turn. During the speech -making the 
chiefs and myself were grouped round the fire 
talking together while the process of cooking 
certain parts of the sheep was going on. The 
heart and liver were taken out and cut into little 
pieces, which were then roasted separately on a 
skewer, carefully cut and shaved clean before 
the meat was put on, the result being something 
like the Oriental mutton kabobs. 

When the cooking was finished the orators 
ceased talking, and all attention was turned on 
us. Olomondo, the hunter chief, was the first 



196 JOHN BOYES 

to take a prominent part in the ceremony. 
Taking one of his sharp arrows, he made an 
incision in the flesh of each one who was to be 
joined in blood brotherhood just above the heart. 
When this had been done the meat was passed 
round, each one receiving a piece, which he first 
rubbed in the blood from the wound made by 
the arrow, and then handed it to his neighbour, 
who had already done the same with the meat he 
had received. The meat was then eaten, and this 
went on until each one had eaten the blood from 
each and all in turn. This completed the cere- 
mony, and every one turned to dancing and 
rejoicing, sheep and goats being killed and 
roasted, and a big feast was held. In the excite- 
ment' some of my men lost their heads and 
started firing their rifles in the air, an incident 
which nearly precipitated a fight, and threatened 
to undo all the good that had been done. As 
soon as I heard the firing I rushed up, and at 
once realized what had happened ; but some of 
the natives thought there was an intention of 
foul play and began hunting for their spears, 
and in spite of my explanation things looked 
ugly, and it was some time before all were 
reassured and things calmed down. 

I advised the chiefs not to delay too long 
before returning to their homes, as the temper 
of the people might change, in which case there 
would probably be trouble. The natives get very 



DANCING FRENZY 197 

excited when dancing, and work themselves into 
hysterics, when they are not responsible for what 
they may do. Among my own people I had 
put a stop to that sort of thing by putting any 
man who showed signs of getting into that state 
under restraint at once. Before taking these 
steps I had seen as many as twenty men at one 
time all mad with excitement, first one and then 
another going clean off his head. They would 
gradually work themselves up into a perfect state 
of frenzy, until they trembled from head to foot, 
and after jumping up and down would draw 
in their breath in great gulps and suddenly grip 
their spears and run amok. The other natives 
thought they were possessed of a devil, ^ and 



^ This devil, whom they called Ngoma, appeared to corre- 
spond more to the Christian idea of the devil than is often 
the case with the deities of savage tribes. The Kikuyu were 
monotheists, regarding Ngai as a benevolent deity, from 
whom all benefits came, and to whom they offered sacrifices 
and paid homage, with a view to favours to come ; while 
Ngoma, on the other hand, was a deity w^ho brought only 
evil and disaster upon them, and to whom they offered no 
sacrifices and paid no homage, wherein they would appear 
to be a good deal more like consistent Christians should be 
than the majority of the modern professors of that faith, 
including a good many native clergy, who, in spite of their 
orders and profession of Christianity, still practise in secret 
the heathen rites and superstitions of their ancestors. 

The Kikuyu are also firm believers in a future life, though 
possibly from a somewhat materiaHstic point of view. Their 
belief is that their '' heaven " is situated under the earth. 



/ 



198 JOHN BOYES 

their method of treating a man so affected was 
to bear him to the ground by sheer force, and 
then half a dozen or more would sit on him. I 
found, however, that a little salutary punishment 
very quickly cured them of that sort of thing. 

It was pretty late in the afternoon when we 
left the camp to return to Wagombi's, after seeing 
that all the others had started for their homes. 

I prolonged my stay at Wagombi's for some 
time, and continued to trade in ivory, which, 
as I have said, I bought at a very cheap rate. 
I happened to have the right sort of trade goods, 
and the natives were very anxious to deal. I 
remember that they took a particular liking for 
one special fancy cloth that I had, and there 
was quite a run on it. It was a very gaudy 
material, in a variety of colours, and after they 
had wrapped a piece loosely round them, they 
would run about like children, being delighted 
to see it fluttering in the wind as it streamed 
behind them like a huge blanket. 

I was told that some natives living more down 
towards the coast had quite a lot of ivory, and 
that the trade goods which I had still left with 
me — chiefly iron and brass wire — would be very 

while the abode of Ngoma is above it, and that when they 
die their spirit goes to the world below, where they will 
lead a similar life to that which they have left on earth, 
possessing the same herds of sheep, cattle, and goats as they 
then had, and being joined again by their wives as they die. 



i 



I BURY MY IVORY 199 

suitable for trading with them. I also gathered 
that these people were living in the part of the 
country where Gibbons's safari had been cut up, 
and that if I went there I would have to take 
every precaution, as I should probably find them 
hostile. Wagombi agreed to provide me with 
guides and gave me all the information in his 
power. 

As I was anxious to see the country, and to 
get into touch with the people with whom 
Gibbons fared so badly, I arranged to make 
the journey, and proceeded to get my expedition 
together. Having buried the ivory I had bought 
at Wagombi's, as I had done that at Tato, when 
all was in readiness I said goodbye to the friendly 
chief, and once again trekked off to parts 
unknown . 

The country was very much the same as that 
through which I had already passed, being very 
hilly and thickly wooded, but the natives had 
heard of my coming and had evidently no desire 
to meet me. They had deserted all their villages, 
and I could not get into touch with them at all, 
although at different times I got glimpses of 
some of them on the tops of the hills, and though 
we shouted to them that we were friends, they 
would not come near us. As their attitude was 
threatening, I came to the conclusion that they 
were enemies of Wagombi, and each night when 
we camped I took the precaution of erecting a 



200 JOHN BOYES 

boma, and would not allow any man outside the 
camp unless it v/as absolutely necessary. The 
first trouble came when the men went out to 
get water. We were camped on some high 
ground at a considerable distance from the river, 
so I sent a good guard with the party going 
for water, and as they were returning up the hill 
I suddenly heard a lot of shouting. Taking some 
more of my men, I rushed down to see what was 
happening, and found that the party was being 
attacked by a big crowd of savages, who were 
shooting at them with arrows. In this part of 
the country they use bows and arrows more than 
spears, and I actually saw some women armed 
with these weapons and using them as well as 
the men. Some of the savages had got up in 
the trees and were firing on my men as they 
passed beneath, and before we managed to clear 
them out and drive them away, one of my men 
had been killed and another wounded by the 
arrows. Getting back to the camp, we found that 
it was surrounded by another howling mob of 
niggers, and we had great difficulty in fighting 
our way through and getting in. Once safely 
in the camp, we turned and poured a steady fire 
into the mass. This fusillade eventually drove 
them off, though several very ugly rushes were 
made before they finally gave up the attempt to 
overpower us. 

From the height on which the camp was 



ATTACKED BY NATIVES 201 

pitched we could see dozens of villages all round 
us, and it was very evident that the country was 
very thickly populated ; but feeling absolutely 
safe as long as we stuck together, we were not 
alarmed at the hostile demonstrations on the part 
of the natives, who still threatened us from a 
safe distance, so we slept there that night, nothing 
happening to disturb our rest, but of course a 
strict guard was kept. 

The next morning the natives again gathered 
round us ; but it was a very half-hearted attack 
that they made this time, however, as they 
chiefly contented themselves with shouting in- 
sulting remarks at us from a distance, only now 
and then making a combined rush, which we 
easily beat off. Not that my men did very much 
damage, as the native has no idea of shooting 
straight, and it is very diflicult to make them 
understand the sights of a rifle. My men were 
all right up to a hundred yards, as I had taught 
them always to aim low, whereas the native is 
apt to fire high ; while the ordinary native who 
has had no training with a gun is absolutely 
useless, generally turning his head the other way 
when he pulls the trigger. 

The natives kept up their hostile attitude for 
some days, occasionally creeping up and dropping 
arrows into the camp, while we waited, expecting 
that they would either make friends or put forth 
a big effort to wipe us out altogether. Our great 



202 JOHN BOYES 

difficulty was that food was beginning to run 
short, our supply having been only a small one 
to start with ; so feeling that it was useless to 
hope to make friends with these people, and that 
therefore nothing was to be gained by staying 
there, I decided to trek back to Wagombi's. 
Breaking camp, we started back, and although 
the natives shouted at us from a safe distance, 
as usual, they made no attempt to cut us off, 
so we got safely back to our old camp. When 
Wagombi had heard my account of what had 
happened, he said that, if I liked, he would 
muster his people and, as he expressively put 
it, " go and clear up the whole country." I 
thanked him, but declined his kind offer, as 
I felt that it was taking on too big a job, and I 
was also anxious to get back to my old quarters 
at Karuri's, from which I had now been away 
about six months. During the time I had been 
away I had heard no definite news of what was 
going on there, but it was reported that we were 
all killed, and that long ago they had given up 
all hope of seeing us again. 

When I declined Wagombi*s offer to make 
war on the tribe that had attacked us, I told him 
that my idea was to get on friendly terms with 
the natives without any shooting or anything of 
that sort, and after I had explained this to him 
he was rather disappointed with me, and said, 
" Why all this humbug? The country is yours. 



OLOMONDO, THE HUNTER CHIEF 203 

What's the use of humbugging about like a 
^voman? " We had a lot of talk about it, and 
after a time he gave in and seemed to be con- 
vinced, remarking that I was a white man and 
must know better than he what was the best 
thing to do. 

Olomondo, the hunter chief of the Wanderobo, 
was still staying at Wagombi's, but he and his 
people were getting restless, and wanted to get 
back to their families. He was anxious that I 
should accompany him, promising me plenty of 
ivory and hunting if I would go with him ; so, 
thinking the opportunity of making friends with 
his tribe, and at the same time securing more 
ivory, was too good to be lost, I decided to defer 
my return to headquarters until after I had paid 
him my promised visit. I had left some good 
men in charge at Karuri's, who would be still 
buying food in my absence, and as I had taken 
a good supply into the Government stations 
before I left, I had no fear that they would be 
running short. I also took into consideration 
the fact that I was making more money by ivory 
trading, and this partly influenced me in deciding 
to accompany Olomondo. In addition to all 
these reasons I had a strong desire to get more 
into the wilds and out amongst the game. I 
was not feeling too well, as the strain of the 
past few months was beginning to tell on me, 
and I felt that the change from the thickly- 



204 JOHN BOYES 

populated district to the practically uninhabited 
country which was the hunting-ground of the 
Wanderobo would be very welcome. 

We had to take a lot of food with us, and every 
man had to carry a load, as no flour was to be 
bought from the Wanderobo, who live entirely 
upon flesh. I also got a few of Wagombi's people 
to carry some flour and other things that we 
should require, but they were to return home 
when we had decided upon the site for our head- 
quarter camp, as we should make a food station 
there. Of course, I could have shot plenty of 
game, but the Kikuyu would not eat it, being 
in most cases vegetarians. 

Having got everything ready for the expedi- 
tion and said a lot of farewells — Wagombi 
being very sorry that I was leaving his part of 
the country — we started off. The first part of 
our journey led through forest country, and at 
the end of the first day's march all signs of 
human habitation had disappeared, and we 
camped that night at the edge of the forest, 
while before us stretched a beautiful park -like 
country, open plain with patches of forest here 
and there, which struck me as an ideal district 
for farming. The change from the thickly 
populated Kikuyu country and the absence of 
native villages was most refreshing, and I slept 
very comfortably that night, with the thought 
of the prospect before us, and awoke to a cool. 



THE GUASA NYERO 205 

fresh morning and a beautiful sunrise. Going 
out of my tent, I revelled in the beauty of the 
scene spread out before me, and once more 
experienced the exhilarating feeling of gipsy- 
like freedom, the liberty to roam where I would 
at will, hunting the wild game which could be 
seen in plenty from the door of my tent. 

Watering the rich pasture -lands of the plain 
were numerous cool streams coming down from 
the mountains, and flowing through the valley to 
form the Guasa Nyero. All around were the 
virgin forests, while out on the open plain were 
many most inviting spots for camping. The 
whole country was free for us to go wherever 
we wished, without any fear of interference. One 
felt that one was in a different world, and 
wondered how any one who had experienced this 
sense of freedom from the trammels of 
civilization could ever wish to go back to the 
crowded cities, or be cooped up within the four 
walls of a house. At that moment of exhilaration 
I certainly did not envy the civilized citizen at 
home. 

After breakfast we set out again on the march, 
and continued until the heat of the sun began 
to be oppressive, when we rested for lunch, 
continuing our journey afterwards through 
further stretches of most beautiful scenery. 
Three days' march from Wagombi's we came 
to the village of the Wanderobo, who had been 



206 JOHN BO YES 

warned of our coming by messengers sent on 
ahead of the caravan. They gave us a friendly 
welcome, but it was evident that they were a 
very timid people, and I was convinced that, 
had Olomondo not been with me, I should never 
have come in contact with them, as they would 
certainly have kept out of my way entirely. 
They seemed a bit scared at seeing so many of 
my followers, but the chief assured them that 
there was no cause for alarm. Their kraal was 
a very primitive affair, being simply a lean-to 
shed, without the slightest attempt at privacy — 
all the married men and their wives occupying 
one portion, and the young men and girls 
another — while I found them the laziest and 
dirtiest people I had ever met. They will not 
go out hunting until they are absolutely starving, 
and when they have killed some big animal, they 
simply gorge themselves on it, sitting round it, 
and never leave the spot until every scrap of 
the meat has been devoured. I was to have an 
early example of this practice. I had brought 
with me ten big bullocks, and, as these people 
had a fair amount of ivory, they were able to buy 
the whole lot. To my surprise, no sooner had 
they got the bullocks into their possession than 
they killed the whole ten at once, and fires having 
been lighted, a circle of savages gathered round 
each bullock, and, as it cooked, cut off huge 
strips of the flesh and ate them, not moving away 



THE HONEY BIRD 207 

until each bullock had been absolutely disposed 
of. A more disgusting spectacle I never 
witnessed. They live entirely on meat, but have 
a drink which they make from the wild honey. 
A remarkable thing in connexion with this honey 
is that they are often shown where to find it 
by following a bird, which they call the honey 
bird. One day, when out hunting, I noticed a 
small bird of a brownish colour, not much larger 
than a sparrow, which was twittering on a bush 
close at hand. Presently it flew towards me, 
twittering overhead, and afterwards alighted on 
a tree, still twittering, and the Wanderobo began 
to talk to it. I had heard of the honey 
bird before, but this was the first time that I had 
seen one, and I was very much interested. The 
natives continued to talk to it, and when it began 
to fly again, they followed it as it went twittering 
along, keeping just a little in advance of us, for 
perhaps a couple of miles, until we came to 
a hollow tree, where it stopped, and the 
Wanderobo, saying that we should find some 
honey there, began chopping the tree away until 
they found a considerable store of wild honey. 
After taking the honey out, they gave a certain 
quantity to the bird — or rather, left some in 
the tree for it, as they said that if they did not 
do that, the bird would, on another occasion, 
lead them on to a dangerous animal or a big 
snake. Of course this was simply a piece of 



208 JOHN BOYES 

native superstition, which I satisfactorily proved 
to have no truth in it, as I took the trouble to 
test it one day when I had followed the honey 
bird, by taking every bit of the honey to which 
it led me, without leaving any for the bird. After 
flying round two or three times, it went twittering 
on again for another two or three miles, and 
when it finally stopped, fluttering round a tree 
as before, I found that it had simply led me to 
another store of honey ; so I disposed of one 
native belief. 

The Wanderobo women were fairly well 
dressed — in skins— but the men wore hardly any 
clothing at all. When necessity compels them 
to move they are fairly good hunters, and will 
creep up to within ten yards of an elephant, to 
spear it. The spear is fashioned something after 
the manner of a harpoon, the head being fixed 
to the shaft in such a way that, on striking the 
elephant, it becomes detached, and remains in 
the wound, while the shaft falls to the ground. 
It would not, of course, be sufficient to kill an 
elephant but for the fact that it is poisoned ; 
and even then the elephant will often travel a 
considerable distance before succumbing to the 
poison. Singularly enough, the poison used 
appears only to afl'ect the part immediately in 
the neighbourhood of the wound, and when this 
has been cut out, the natives eat the remainder 
of the flesh with perfect safety. Of course, as 



THE WANDEROBO 209 

I mentioned before, the Wanderobo do not get 
the benefit of all the elephants they wound 
fatally, as many of the wounded animals manage 
to wander too far away into the forest to be 
tracked before they die, and any one finding 
them gets the benefit of the ivory. 

The Wanderobo are very skilful with the bow 
and arrow, and can easily send an arrow right 
through a buck at fifty yards' range, while their 
method of hunting these animals is distinctly 
novel. Taking a donkey, they fix a pair of horns 
to its head, and having carefully marked it with 
charcoal, to make it look as much like an 
ordinary buck as possible, they then crawl up 
on the lee side of it until they get close up to 
the game, which falls to an easy shot. The 
donkey seems to know the business, and is a 
very clever decoy. 

I learned during my stay that some of the 
Wanderobo had once mustered up courage to 
attack some Swahili, w^hom they had murdered, 
some of the tribe giving my men the details of 
their treachery ; but, as a rule, they were much 
too timid to engage in anything of the sort. 

One peculiar point about these people was that 
they all seemed to have a cast in the eye, which 
I was a good deal puzzled to account for. 
Whether the meat diet on which they lived so 
exclusively had anything to do with it, or 
whether it was owing to their dirty habits— and 



210 JOHN BOYES 

they certainly were most abominably dirty— I 
cannot say ; but the peculiarity seemed almost 
universal in the tribe. 

I made my camp at a good distance from the 
village, to escape the unpleasant odour of the 
decaying meat which was left about, and to 
escape the vermin, as their huts simply swarmed 
with fleas, and I well remember the first time 
that this was brought to my notice. I had been 
going through the village, and found my clothes 
covered with what I at first took to be grass 
seeds ; but what was my disgust to find, when I 
attempted to brush them off with my hand, that 
I was literally alive with fleas ! 

Like all the natives, the Wanderobo are very 
superstitious, and if, on one of our hunting trips, 
we should happen to come across the carcass 
or skull of an elephant, every one of them would 
spit on it, at the same time plucking a handful 
of grass, and placing it on the animal's head, 
and saying " Ngai " as they did so. This they 
believed would bring them luck in their hunting. 
They also were firm believers in the power of 
human beings to make rain, and in this 
connexion I had a rather amusing experience. 
Going down to the river one day for a bathe, 
I noticed some quartz, which I thought was likely 
to carry gold ; so, selecting some pieces, I was 
pounding them up and washing them, to see if 
there really was any gold in it, when, chancing 



A 



GOOD SPORT 211 

to look up, I saw quite a number of the 
Wanderobo, hidden in the bush, peering at me 
in a very curious fashion. I paid little attention 
to the incident at the time, and after my bathe 
went back to the camp, as usual. Some few 
days afterwards we had a shower of rain, and 
Olomondo and some of the other natives came to 
thank me for making it rain. I was, naturally, 
surprised, and said : " You need not thank me ; 
I know nothing about it " ; but they said : " Oh, 
yes, you do ; you can't deceive us, as we saw 
you making the rain the other day, in the river." 
It is just the same if you do anything which 
appears to them to be out of the ordinary — they 
at once think that you are " making magic." 

I had a splendid time hunting with these 
people, and nearly every day, towards evening, 
I went out to shoot food for them, the country 
being like a large zoo, simply full of every kind 
of African game you can think of, including 
huge herds of zebra, giraffes, elephants, lions, 
hartebeest, eland, waterbuck, and occasional 
herds of buffalo — enough, in fact, to delight the 
heart of the most enthusiastic hunter. I shot 
several elephants, besides innumerable smaller 
game, and two lions — which animals the 
Wanderobo do not kill, since, as they cannot 
eat the meat, they do not consider them worth 
the trouble of killing. During our hunting 
together they killed some elephants, and it was 



212 JOHN BOYES 

agreed that when an elephant was killed, they 
should take one tusk and I the other, and I 
eventually used to get both by trading. 

One of their methods of catching elephants 
and other animals was by the use of pits, which 
were dug wedge-shaped, so that when the animal 
fell in, it could not turn round or move, and 
therefore had no chance of getting out again ; 
while, in some cases, sharp stakes were placed, 
point upward, at the bottom, with the object of 
impaling any animal that should fall in. These 
pits were so cleverly concealed that one had to 
be very careful not to fall into them oneself : the 
mouth being generally covered with sticks laid 
crosswise, with dry grass on the top. They had 
quite a lot of these pits, and caught a good 
deal of game by means of them. 

While out hunting one day, I heard shots fired 
at a distance, and thinking it might be some 
white men, I sent some natives to find out, and 
gave them a note tO carry to the strangers . They 
came back saying that they had seen two white 
men, and given them the note. As there was no 
answer, my own idea was that my messengers 
had got close up to the strangers, and then 
become afraid — possibly at the men themselves, 
but most likely on account of the note, which 
they regarded as some kind of fetish. I found 
out later that the strangers were two Germans, 
a Dr. Kolb and 4 Lieutenant, who were out 



DR. KOLB 213 

hunting. Dr. Kolb was afterwards killed by a 
rhinoceros, and his grave, right away on the 
Guasa Nyero, is marked by huge heaps of stones. 
I passed it on my trip to Abyssinia, at a later 
period of my travels. 

I stayed some months hunting with the 
Wanderobo, and so fascinating was the wild, free 
life, that I could scarcely tear myself away from 
it ; while my followers, who shared the same 
feeling, had become so friendly with the 
Wanderobo that some of them had fallen into the 
habit of eating meat, a thing which they had 
never done before. This caused a lot of chaff 
in the camp, and some of their comrades began 
to call them Wanderobo, which is a term of 
contempt among the Kikuyu, as the word means 
a man without anything, a wanderer without any 
possessions — which fairly describes the tribe in 
question. 

The incident of the note sent to Dr. Kolb 
was recalled to me some days later, when 
Olomondo presented himself at my tent, and said 
that if I would give him some ** medicine," he 
would give me some ivory ; as he believed that, 
if he got the medicine, it would enable him to 
kill more elephants, while he himself would be 
safe from being killed. When I asked him what 
sort of medicine he wanted, he said ** the same 
as I had sent to the white men." I gathered 
from him that, before I sent the note to them. 



214 JOHN BOYES 

they had had bad luck, but that afterwards they 
had killed a lot of game : so I gave the chief 
a piece of paper, but he was not satisfied until 
I had written something on it. Not knowing 
what to write, I lapsed into rhyme ( ?), and 
Olomondo departed the proud possessor of a 
poetical effusion, of which the following is a 
sample : — 

** I am chief of the Wanderobo hunters. 

Olomondo is my name, 
Elephants I kill by the hundreds, 

And thousands of smaller game. 
I am up in the morning so early, 

With my bow and arrows so sharp ; 
Over rivers I glide like a fairy, 

Over mountains I fly like a lark." 

Ihere were a number of verses in this strain, 
but this specimen will suffice. Olomondo took 
the paper, and after wrapping it up carefully, 
put it in a skin pouch, which he tied round his 
neck. 1 may say that it must have been very 
good medicine, for after that Olomondo had 
much better luck with his hunting than before — 
possibly he had so much faith in its powers 
that he went about his hunting with greater 
confidence. Later on, it so happened that a 
Government official got hold of this production, 
and it created a lot of amusement. I don't know 
how it came about, but doubtless the chief met 



POETRY FOR SAVAGES 215 

the official when out hunting, and asked him 
for some medicine, at the same time showing 
him the paper. As I had not been heard of 
for about twelve months at the Government 
station, it was reported that I had been killed ; 
but when they saw this paper, the joke went 
round that I was not killed, but was living 
somewhere around Mount Kenia, writing poetry 
for the savages. 

At last I absolutely had to get away, as I 
had bought all the ivory the natives had, and 
I was getting anxious to see how things were 
going on in the Kikuyu country ; so, after many 
goodbyes, and promising to come back, I left 
my blood brother and his friends and started 
for Wagombi's country. 

Arriving at Wagombi's village without any 
special incident on the journey, I received 
a very friendly welcome from the chief, 
and found that nothing serious had hap- 
pened in my absence, while the natives 
all seemed to be on friendly terms. Having 
picked up the ivory I had buried, I was 
soon on the march again for Tato, and it was 
quite a pleasure to see my people and Wagombi's 
all shaking hands like brothers instead of flying 
at one another's throats. This friendship was 
soon to be put to the test, though we had as 
yet received no warning of the impending 
trouble. 



216 JOHN BOYES 

The same friendly feeling was shown when 
we arrived at Tato, and it was difficult to believe 
that only a few months before one tribe was 
fighting against the other and both were the 
bitter enemies of my people. I had persuaded 
Wagombi to send a present of sheep to Karuri, 
and got the chief Karkerrie, at Tato, to do the 
same, knowing that the exchange of presents was 
the surest way to maintain a friendly under- 
standing between the different chiefs. Then, 
collecting the other ivory we had buried there, 
we were soon on the march again. 

Just after leaving Tato the rumour reached 
me that three Goanese had been murdered and 
all their safari wiped out. I gathered that it was 
a trading safari that had started out from Nairobi, 
headed by three Goanese, who had with them 
about forty Kikuyu natives from among some 
living near Nairobi. They had entered the 
Kikuyu country, and had been well treated by 
the natives whom I had got under control, having 
a really good time until they had entered the 
Chinga country. It will be remembered that 
these were the only natives I had never really 
got into touch with. We had passed through 
their country just after leaving Karuri's, and for 
the most part they kept out of my way. As 
I mentioned previously, some of these people 
came into my camp, and I had intended to make 
blood brotherhood— or rather Pigasangi— with 



MY NARROW ESCAPE 217 

them on my way back. The Goanese, having 
had a good time at Karuri's, had, perhaps, not 
reckoned on the other natives being different, 
and consequently had not taken proper pre- 
cautions. They were well armed— about fifteen 
of the natives carrying rifles, beside themselves 
—but in spite of this the Chinga people had for 
some reason attacked them and murdered the 
whole party. This was the disquieting rumour 
that reached me soon after leaving Tato, though 
I must confess that I did not put much faith 
in it, as so many similar rumours had been spread 
about myself having been killed, and I had 
learned not to trust every report that I heard. 
I thought, however, that the Goanese might be 
in some difficulty, and perhaps had some of their 
men killed ; so I hurried up to see if I could 
give them any assistance ; but the nearer I got 
to the scene of the alleged massacre the more 
convincing were the statements of the natives 
as to the truth of the stories which I had heard. 

I did not call at Muga-wa-diga's, as I had done 
on my outward journey, but took a shorter route 
to Bartier's, and when nearing his village did a 
very foolish thing, which might easily have cost 
me my life, and, indeed, probably would have 
done so, but for the extraordinary instinct of my 
mule. 

Being anxious to meet Bartier to get con- 
firmation of the statements I had heard from 



218 JOHN BOTES 

the natives, and as it was getting late in the 
afternoon, I left my men and hurried on ahead. 
I had never done such a thing before, but it must 
be remembered that I was carrying with me an 
immense quantity of ivory— practically every man 
being fully loaded up with it— and my anxiety 
about the Goanese had shaken me out of my 
usual caution. Taking with me only one askari, 
my gunbearer, an interpreter, and the boy who 
looked after my mule, I went on, telling the 
rest to follow me as quickly as possible to 
Bartier's. My men knew what had happened, 
and I told them to be very careful ; but still, 
being in a friendly country, I thought that there 
could be no harm in pushing on ahead by myself. 
The path ran between two hedges, which 
separated it on either side from the cultivated 
patches of the natives . Suddenly, as I galloped 
forward, all at once my mule showed a disinclina- 
tion to proceed along the path, and seemed to 
want to get off the road into the cultivated 
patches. This curious behaviour would at any 
other time have roused my suspicions, but though 
puzzled to account for the mule's peculiar con- 
duct I did not attach any special reason to it ; 
and, finding that it would not go along the path, 
I let it have its own way, and turned into the 
shamba, when it ran along without any further 
trouble. I galloped along in the gardens for 
some distance, near the footpath, and had not 



GOANESE MURDERED 219 

gone more than a mile when the mule, of its 
own accord, returned to the road, and I arrived 
at Bartier's without further incident about five 
o'clock. The whole village was in a state of 
excitement, and I quickly received confirmation 
of the murders, the natives being full of it and 
appearing terribly afraid that the Chinga people 
would attack them immediately because I was 
there. The Chinga people were their neighbours, 
and the Goanese who had been murdered being, 
to the native idea, white men, were said to be 
my brothers. Hitherto many of the natives had 
believed that it was impossible to kill a white man, 
and this idea had, to a great extent, kept me free 
from attack. But now they said that they had 
killed my brothers, and were only waiting for 
an opportunity to kill me as well. 

Bartier and his people assured me that they 
were absolutely friendly to me, and that I could 
rely upon them. It was the Chinga people, with 
the natives from a part called Mahigga, together 
with some from a district lying more to the east 
of us, under the control of my old enemy, the 
chief rain-maker, who had joined their forces 
against the Goanese, and I had no doubt that the 
rain-maker had had as much, and more, to do 
with the matter than any one else. From what 
I could make out there must have been some 
thousands of natives in the business, and they 
had completely wiped out the traders' safari and 



220 JOHN BOYES 

taken everything they possessed— trade goods, 
some cattle they had with them, and everything 
that was worth looting. 

Whilst Bartier was explaining all this to me, 
two of the four men who had started out with 
me ahead of the main body of my followers 
arrived in the village. I had outdistanced them 
on my mule, and had been feeling some anxiety 
for their safety. When I saw that there were 
only two of them, I immediately inquired what 
had become of the others. It was evident from 
the state of excitement they were in that some- 
thing had happened, and they at once told me 
that their two companions had been killed. Their 
story confirmed the suspicion which had been 
growing in my mind that an ambush had been 
set for me at the place where my mule had 
refused to keep on the road, and it was no doubt 
due to the animal's instinct that I had not been 
killed myself, as my men had kept to the road 
and so fallen into the ambush. They were going 
along, they said, when a number of men rushed 
out on them, and before they knew what was 
really happening two of their number had been 
killed. The two who had escaped could only 
tell me that they had been attacked by a number 
of Kikuyu on the war-path, who, rushing out on 
them, had speared the others and then cleared 
off, while they had picked up the rifles of the 
murdered men and come on to Bartier's as fast 
as they could. 



GENERAL UPRISING 221 

I saw that things were looking pretty bad, and 
quickly concluded that the men in ambush were 
some of the party who had taken part in the 
murder of the Goanese ; but whether they were 
merely a scouting party, spying out my move- 
ments, who had got a bit excited and started 
too early, or whether they had planned to kill 
me and throw suspicion on Bartier, I could only 
guess. Bartier assured me that it had not been 
done by any of his people, and I was quite pre- 
pared to believe him, being fully convinced in 
my own mind that it was the act of some of 
the Chinga people. 

As soon as I had gathered all the details from 
my two followers I asked Bartier to send out 
a few of his people to meet my caravan coming 
along, to tell them of what had happened, and 
to warn them to be very careful ; also, if the two 
men who had been ambushed were not dead, 
to bring them in with them, and this he readily 
agreed to do. My men were not very far behind, 
and the caravan shortly afterwards arrived, 
bringing with them one of the men still alive. 
He had had two or three spears thrust right 
through his back. He was not yet dead, and I 
did all I possibly could for him, but he was 
past human help, and, after confirming the story 
which the others had already told me, he died 
in an hour or two. 

As soon as the caravan arrived we at once 



222 JOHN BOYES 

set to work to build a boma, and I realized that 
I was now in about the tightest corner I had 
ever been in. With all these men of the Goanese 
safari murdered, the country was in a state of 
ferment, and thousands of armed men on the 
war-path all round us, so that the prospect was 
not the most cheerful, and I could see that I 
was in for a rough time, and how I was going 
to get out of it I could not imagine. As I 
have already said, I had such an immense amount 
of ivory that I could only just get along, and it 
was not likely that I should be disposed to 
abandon it, after all the months of trouble and 
worry it had cost me to collect— living entirely 
among savages, and never seeing a white face 
for twelve months. At any rate, I .meant to 
make a good fight for it, and determined, if it 
were at all possible, to win my way out, though 
I knew that these people, who had already dipped 
their hands in the blood of my white brothers— 
as they imagined them to be— would do their 
utmost to blot me out, if only for the sake of 
the quantity of loot which they would get. 

The next step to building the boma was to 
bury the ivory, and having made this as secure 
as possible for the present, I cheered everybody 
up by telling them that we should get through 
all right— that we had not been travelling in the 
country for so long to be afraid now. 

It was soon evident that information of our 



A TIGHT CORNER 223 

arrival had spread through the hostile tribes, 
whose war-cries could be heard on every side, 
while bands of warriors could be seen gather- 
ing all round us, and the whole country was soon 
alive with armed natives, yelling their war-cries 
and shouting what they would do to me when 
they got me. They looked upon the Goanese, 
who wore European dress, as being the same 
as myself, and, having had a comparatively easy 
victory over them, they confidently expected to 
dispose of me without very much trouble, 
announcing that they were fully determined to 
kill me as, they said, they had killed my brothers . 
Some of the natives had dressed themselves in 
the clothes of the ill-fated Goanese, and proudly 
paraded themselves in front of my camp, while 
others were firing off the guns they had taken 
in the loot. For the time being, however, they 
kept at a respectful distance, and we went on 
strengthening our defences ; but it made my 
blood boil when I saw that they had cut off the 
heads of the murdered men and stuck them on 
poles, which they were carrying about as 
trophies. I knew what my fate would be if 
I were unlucky enough to fall into their clutches, 
while my anxiety was increased by the fact that 
our stock of ammunition was running very low, 
as we had been away from headquarters so many 
months and hunting so much that we had used 
it nearly all up. 



224 JOHN BOYES 

As far as I could learn, the Chinga people 
could muster about five thousand fighting men, 
reckoning in the other tribes who were standing 
in with them, and the only course open to me 
was to stand on the defensive. Bartier promised 
to give me all the help he could, but I could see 
that his people were terribly afraid, and I could 
quite understand their feeling, as, if they be- 
friended me, and it should so happen that the 
Chinga people wiped me out, then they would 
be in for it. Bartier did, however, give me all 
the information he could, and assisted me as 
much as I could reasonably expect from him 
under the circumstances. At the same time, I 
could see that he was badly frightened, which, 
perhaps, was only natural, seeing that the other 
side were so strong, and seemed quite determined 
to carry things on to the bitter end. They had 
already commenced hostilities by murdering my 
two tnen, and, fired by their success in wiping 
out the other safari, were burning to get at me. 
Since the wholesale murder of the Goanese and 
their followers they had been rejoicing and feast- 
ing and drinking a lot of njohi, and now they were 
dancing about in paroxysms of mad fury, all 
alike being possessed with the war fever and 
ready at any moment to break loose upon us, 
while we could only wait their first move and 
take every precaution we could think of. 

We were camping right on the boundary of 



NERVOUS EXPECTANCY 225 

the two countries, and could plainly hear them 
shouting, so I sent out some of Bartier's men, 
with some of my own, to scout, with orders to 
hang about in the bush and in the shambas and 
try to find out what the plans of the enemy 
were. About midnight news was brought in that 
a large force of natives was gathered in one 
of the clearings about a mile from camp, where 
they usually held their war-dances, and were 
drinking and feasting and discussing how they 
should attack us . This threw all the people about 
us into a state of panic, expecting every minute 
that the crowd assembling in the clearing would 
be rushing down on us, though I knew that this 
would be a most unusual thing for them to do, 
as savages very rarely rush a camp at night, 
usually reserving their attack till dawn ; still, 
having had such success before, and having been 
drinking, I thought that there was a reasonable 
possibility that they might depart from their usual 
rule on this occasion. Of course, sleep was out 
of the question, and everybody had to stand to 
arms. A large number of Bartier's people were 
in my camp, and every one was in a state of 
nervous expectancy. Eventually a dead silence 
reigned, the effect of which, when surrounded 
by a host of armed foes, I have endeavoured 
to describe before. I had experienced the same 
feeling during the night we were surrounded by 
the natives at Tato. The feeling of depression 



226 JOHN BOYES 

was almost unbearable, and was not lessened by 
the loneliness of my position, out in the midst 
of a wild country, far removed from any white 
man, waiting in momentary expectation of the 
rush of a frenzied horde of yelling savages thirst- 
ing for the blood— and loot— of the white man 
who had so far defied all attempts to blot him 
out, and seemed only to gain fresh power in 
the country after every attempt that was made 
against him. The situation was nerve-trying in 
the extreme, and after an hour or so of waiting 
in this horrible silence I wanted to shout in sheer 
desperation or do anything rather than endure 
the inactivity any longer. I felt the respon- 
sibility for the safety of the followers I had 
brought into this position and the risk of losing 
the fwhole fruits of my twelve months' trying 
experiences, and could not sit still, but had to 
keep moving about. Even the movement did not 
serve to relieve the tension, and I felt that if 
I did not do something quickly I should be 
getting hysterical, so I quickly decided to put 
into action an idea which had been gradually 
forming in my brain of giving my friends the 
enemy a surprise, instead of waiting for them 
to try to give me one. 

I at once gave orders for big fires to be made 
up and for everything to be done which would 
give the appearance of the camp being occupied 
by the whole of my force, and then, leaving 



SUCCESSFUL SALLY 227 

only a few men in charge of the camp, I 
mustered the remainder and stole quietly out, 
my men being fully armed, to pay a visit to 
the meeting in the clearing where the enemy 
were said to be holding their consultation— my 
object being to teach them such a lesson that 
they would hesitate to make war on me again. 
The enemy had evidently never imagined that 
we should venture to attempt to turn the tables 
on them in this manner, and in the darkness we 
managed to creep right up to the edge of the 
clearing without being discovered, as they had 
not thought it necessary to put any sentries out. 
Here we found the warriors still drinking and 
feasting, sitting round their fires so engrossed 
in their plans for my downfall that they entirely 
failed to notice our approach ; so, stealthily 
creeping up till we were close behind them, we 
prepared to complete our surprise. The moment 
had come to deal them a crushing blow. Not 
a sound had betrayed our advance, and they 
were still quite ignorant of our presence almost 
in the midst of them. The echoing crack of my 
rifle, which was to be the signal for the general 
attack, was immediately drowned in the roar of 
the other guns as my men poured in a volley 
which could not fail to be effective at that short 
range, while accompanying the leaden missiles 
was a cloud of arrows, poured in by that part 
of mv force which was not armed with rifles. 



228 JOHN BOYES 

The effect of this unexpected onslaught was 
electrical, the savages starting up with yells of 
terror in a state of utter panic. Being taken 
so completely by surprise, they could not at first 
realize what had happened, and the place was 
for a few minutes a pandemonium of howling 
niggers, who rushed about in the faint light of 
the camp fires, jostling each other and stumbling 
over the bodies of those who had fallen at ,the 
first volley, but quite unable to see who had 
attacked them ; while, before they had recovered 
from the first shock of surprise, my men had re- 
loaded, and again a shower of bullets and arrows 
carried death into the seething, disorganized 
mass. This volley completed the rout, and, with- 
out waiting a moment longer, the whole crowd 
rushed pell-mell into the bush, not a savage re- 
maining in the clearing that could get away, 
and the victory was complete. For the time 
being we were masters of the situation, only a 
number of still forms and a few wounded being 
left of the thousands who had filled the clearing 
a little while before, and we returned jubilant 
to our camp. 

As may be imagined, our success was a great 
relief to me, and I reckoned that I had taught them 
a lesson which would make them hesitate before 
interfering with me again : so leaving my buried 
ivory, I started off the next morning in an attempt 
to get through to my headquarters, feeling sure 



FIGHTING AT CLOSE QUARTERS 229 

that Karuri must, by this time, have heard of 
my position, and would send out a force to meet 
me. Our advance was made with the utmost 
caution : halting every few minutes to search 
with our eyes the scrub on either side of the 
path for any signs of a lurking foe, and keeping 
our guns ready to fire at the sight of an enemy, 
we went slowly on until we entered the Chinga 
country. Skirting the edge of one of the hills, 
our way led through a large patch of thick grass, 
some seven or eight feet high — an ideal place 
for an ambush — and I felt that if we got safely 
through this there was little else to fear. Step 
by step we proceeded, going dead slow, and 
making scarcely a sound ; but we had not gone 
far before we instinctively felt that our enemies 
were hidden in the long grass around us, and 
our suspicions were soon confirmed. A black 
form was seen for a second, and instantly dis- 
appeared. Then shots were fired, and spears 
and arrows began to whizz about our heads, and 
before we had gone many yards farther, the 
grass around us became alive with savages. 
Whenever one showed himself, we fired, and then 
suddenly, the grass became animated on all sides, 
swayed and parted, and the horde of yelling 
black demons was on us. We were fighting at 
close quarters, and soon every man had his work 
cut out to defend himself. I was loading and 
firing from the hip, as fast as I could throw out 



230 JOHN BOYES 

the empty shells and shove fresh cartridges into 
the breech. It was a critical moment, and it 
looked very much as though it was all up with 
us. So closely were we being pressed that one 
of the savages had his spear poised over my 
head, and the muzzle of my rifle was pressed 
against his body when I fired. My first shot 
seemed to paralyse him, for while he had plenty 
of time to plunge his spear into my body he 
failed to do so, and I had plumped two or three 
bullets into him before he gave a jump into the 
air, and toppled over dead. My followers were 
all equally hard pressed, and on all sides was a 
writhing mass of black forms, all fighting like 
devils . We were in a valley, closed in by rugged 
hills, and chancing to look up, I saw that the 
top of the mountain above us was black with 
niggers, who were evidently only waiting to see 
how those below fared before making a final 
rush, which must have swamped us ; so I 
immediately shouted to my men to charge up 
the hill, thinking that if we waited much longer 
they might suddenly decide to sweep down on 
us, when our last chance of getting away would 
be gone. We had by this time stopped the rush 
of those in the valley, and now, taking the 
offensive, we fought our way through them up 
the mountain -side ; but when the force on the 
top saw^ us coming, they at once turned and 
bolted, rushing helter-skelter down the other side 



WAR FEVER 231 

of the hill. We had had a marvellous escape, 
and though we had had several casualties, we 
had come out of the affair with much smaller 
loss than might have been expected. I saw that 
it was useless to try to get through to Karuri's 
now, as we should have had to fight every foot 
of the way, and had practically no chance of 
winning through; so we returned to Bartier's. 

By this time the news had spread through the 
country, and Wagombi and Karkerrie had heard 
of my trouble, and had sent some men to help 
me, with a promise of more if I needed them. 
The whole country was thrown into a state of 
excitement : the war fever was at its height : 
but my blood brothers had rallied nobly to my 
help, and big forces of armed warriors were 
coming in every hour from the different friendly 
chiefs to support me, until I had a force of 
several thousands of the finest fighting men in 
the country camped at Bartier's. 

I was considerably alarmed at the turn events 
had taken, especially as the chiefs were deter- 
mined to have it out, and threatened to clean 
up the whole Chinga country : while the hostile 
natives had, in the meantime, collected more 
followers, having received reinforcements from 
some of the other tribes living to the east ; so 
that I could see that it was absolutely useless 
to try to make peace until they had had a 
tussle. The people who had come to help me 



232 JOHN BOYES 

were also red-hot for war, and scenes of the 
wildest enthusiasm prevailed in the camp of my 
force. Giving way to their savage nature, they 
danced themselves into the wildest passion, 
numbers of them going into hysterical fits, and 
jabbing their spears into the tree-trunks in 
imitation of killing their enemies, while their 
breath sobbed out in great gulps. It was a 
remarkable outburst of savage, uncontrolled 
passion, which I was helpless to check. 

When the time for action came, this army 
of warriors swept through the Chinga country 
from one end to the other, destroying the villages, 
and wiping out of existence all who opposed 
them. It was some time before peace could 
be restored, and when that time came the Chinga 
people, as a force to be reckoned with in the 
country, had ceased to exist. 



CHAPTER IX 

My control over the whole country now complete — Get 
back with my ivory to Karuri's — Recover all the property of 
the murdered Goanese — My position recognized by all the 
chiefs — Violent death of my enemy, the rain-maker — Peace- 
ful rule — Try to improve the agriculture of the country — 
Imitators of my schemes cause trouble in the country — 
Troubles of a ruler — Outbreak of smallpox — Famine — My 
attempts at alleviating the distress misunderstood — Daily 
routine in a native village — " Sin vomiting " — Native cus- 
toms — Native hospitality among themselves — Adventures 
with lions 

THE trouble being thus settled, I got my 
ivory through to headquarters, being 
met on the road by Karuri, bringing a 
force to my assistance, my messengers having 
acquainted him with the state of affairs. From 
this time on I had complete control of the 
country ; everything that had been stolen from 
the Goanese was given up, while their murderers 
had received such punishment as they were not 
likely to forget in a generation. 

When matters had quieted down again, and 
I had time to review the situation, I took the first 
opportunity of sending messengers through to 

233 



234 JOHN BOYES 

the Government, with a full report of the recent 
occurrences ; while I also communicated with 
the relatives of the murdered Goanese, two 
brothers who, I heard, were living at Nairobi, 
sending through to them the whole of the stolen 
property which I had recovered. I found out 
later that, through some misunderstanding or 
other, the heads of the murdered men — which had 
been found after the fighting was over — had like- 
wise been sent in to Nairobi ; which, while 
serving as proof to the officials that the reports 
I had been sending in from time to time as to 
the character of the natives were not without 
foundation, was a most regrettable occurrence, 
and must, I fear, have given much pain to the 
relatives . 

The fighting being now over, and the Chinga 
people — such as remained of them — having given 
assurances of their desire and intention to live 
at peace with their neighbours, the country now 
settled down into a condition of quietness such 
as had never been known before. My mission 
through the country had served to produce a 
spirit of friendship between the different clans 
and tribes which effectually put an end to the 
petty quarrelling and constant fighting which had 
hitherto gone on ; and from this time I was 
looked upon as practically the king of the 
country, all matters in dispute being referred 
to my judgment, and I was constantly being 



ACKNOWLEDGED AS LEADER 235 

called upon to give counsel and advice upon every 
conceivable subject which affected the welfare 
of the people. The three most powerful chiefs 
in the country — Karuri, Karkerrie, and Wagombi 
— acknowledged me as their leader, and chiefs 
and people were now entirely under my control. 
As proof of the altered condition of the country, I 
could now send messengers to any one of the 
chiefs or headmen without any fear of their being 
attacked or molested on the way. 

The reader will remember that I have several 
times mentioned an individual who was known 
as the chief rain-maker, a man who was by 
no means well disposed towards me, on account 
of the fact that my influence in the country 
greatly weakened his position. He went out of 
his way, on every possible occasion, to cause me 
as much trouble and annoyance as he could ; 
while, in connexion with this Chinga trouble, I 
found that my suspicions as to his having had a 
large share in the matter were perfectly correct. 
In fact, he had engineered the whole business, 
both with regard to the murder of the Goanese 
traders and the subsequent attack on my safari, 
the former being really a sort of preliminary 
to the latter, intended to convince the natives that 
it was quite possible, as well as profitable, to 
attack and murder a white man, as he carefully 
explained to the people that the Goanese were 
white men, and of the same kind as myself. 



236 JOHN BOYES 

This attempt having failed^ like all his other 
efforts to remove me, he was not content to accept 
defeat and let the matter rest, but continued to 
scheme for my removal until his persistence was 
the ultimate cause of his own death, which 
occurred in the following manner. 

Some time after the Chinga business, reports 
were brought in to my headquarters at Karuri's 
of serious tribal fighting and raiding in a district 
some twenty miles to the east of Karuri's, and 
after a council of the principal men had been 
held, it was decided that a force should be sent 
to reduce the offenders to order. Consequently 
I set out with Karuri, and about a thousand 
warriors, for the scene of the disturbance. Soon 
after we had passed the boundary of the 
disturbed district, which lay partly in the chief 
rain -maker's territory — for he was a tribal chief, 
as well as the principal rain -maker — he came out 
to meet us, with every sign of friendliness, and 
said that he had brought some of his people 
to help us to put matters right. Being fully 
occupied with the matter in hand, and quite ready 
to welcome any friendly advances from my old 
enemy, I met him in the same spirit, and told 
him to let his following of some three hundred 
warriors fall in with the rest of the expedition, and 
we continued our march. All went well until we 
reached the first of the offending villages, where 
we met with strong opposition, and had to 



POISONED ARROWS 237 

advance our force in extended order to attack 
the enemy. The order to advance had just been 
given, and the force were crossing the brow of 
the hill which stood between them and the enemy, 
Karuri and myself, together with some of the 
principal headmen, following them more leisurely 
up the hill, when I suddenly heard a shot fired 
immediately behind me, and, turning round, saw 
the chief rain -maker lying on the ground, while 
one of the four askaris who formed my personal 
escort was just reloading his rifle. On my asking 
what had happened, I was told by Karuri and the 
askari that the chief rain-maker had posted an 
ambush of men with poisoned arrows in the bush 
near, and was just signalling them to shoot me 
down from behind, when my escort caught him 
in the act and fired. Going over to where he lay, 
I found that nothing could be done for him, as the 
heavy Snider bullet had gone through his sword — 
which these people wear rather high up on the 
right side — and entered his body just above the 
hip, so that the case was hopeless from the first, 
as he himself recognized. When I spoke to 
him he made no complaint about his fate, but 
jj begged that five blankets which I had given 

him at various times might be brought, and that 
he might be wrapped up in them and buried, 
instead of being thrown into the bush for the 
hyenas to eat, as was the usual Kikuyu custom. 
Having received my assurance that his last wish 



238 JOHN BOYES 

should be carried out, he died, without saying 
anything further. Although the man had im- 
doubtedly brought his fate on himself by his 
treachery, I very much regretted his death, as I 
thought we were getting on better terms, and 
he was one of the finest specimens of the intelli- 
gent savage — physically as well as mentally — that 
I have known. Had he been content to run 
straight and work with me for the good of his 
people, he would have been able to do a great 
deal for them. 

But we had little time to spare for regrets, 
for although his death took a great deal of the 
heart out of his people who had been set to 
ambush us, they still attempted to carry out his 
plan to wipe us all out, and as our followers were 
by this time well over the brow of the hill, we 
had as much as we could do to hold our own. 
I managed, however, to get a couple of messen- 
gers through the warriors surrounding us, to 
summon some of our men back to our help. 
On the arrival of reinforcements, those of the 
rain-maker's people who were not prepared to 
give up their weapons and surrender cleared off 
as rapidly as possible. 

Strangely enough, in the course of the same 
day's operations I was able to do my old friend 
Karuri a good turn by saving the life of his 
eldest son, a boy of about eighteen, named 
Cachukia, who had only recently attained to 



I SAVE CACHUKIA 239 

warrior rank, and was out on his first expedition. 
We were returning from the reduction of a village 
where we had met with considerable resistance, 
and lost rather heavily, when I noticed that 
Cachukia was not with us, and on inquiring what 
had become of him, I was told that he had been 
killed in the final assault on the village. Not 
wishing to take any chance of the boy having 
been simply badly wounded and left to bleed 
to death, I took a few men with me and made 
my way back to the scene of the fight, where I 
found the unfortunate youngster still living, but 
very seriously hurt, having two bad spear wounds 
in the chest, both of which had penetrated the 
lung. Although the case seemed pretty hopeless, 
I could not leave him there to bleed to death, 
so getting the men to make a stretcher with a 
blanket and a couple of young saplings, I had 
him carried back to his father's place, where he 
gradually recovered, and to-day he is as strong 
and healthy a man as any in the tribe, of which 
he should be the chief on his father's death. 

It may be worth while mentioning that the 
man who shot the chief rain-maker was so over- 
whelmed with what he had done, and the 
possible consequences to himself if he remained 
anywhere in the neighbourhood of the late 
lamented's district, or even where his people 
could easily get at him, that he cleared out of 



240 JOHN BOYES 

that part of the country altogether, and no one 
knew where he had gone. I met him some 
years afterwards on the road in the neighbour- 
hood of Naivasha, when he recalled the incident 
to my memory, telling me that he had never 
ventured to go back to his own district. 

Soon after my return to headquarters I 
organized a big safari to take the food and ivory 
I had collected down to Naivasha, and on this 
journey I took about a thousand loads of food 
into the Government station, which they were 
very pleased to get. I was told that I could take 
in as much food as I could possibly collect, 
as some of the flour was required for the other 
Government stations up-country, where their 
supply of food had fallen off locally. 

During my absence an Indian store had been 
opened in Naivasha, and having sold my food 
and ivory, I was able to buy everything that I 
required for trading at this store, and among the 
other things I purchased to take back with me 
were a lot of seeds, including some of the black 
wattle. 

Returning to my home in the mountains, I 
settled down at Karuri's with a prospect of calmer 
days before me than I had experienced during 
the previous twelve months, during which I had 
been getting the country under control, and now 
I had time to set about improving the country 
itself, and got the natives to work making better 



IMPROVING AGRICULTURE 241 

roads and building bridges across the rivers, and 
generally increasing the facilities for getting 
about the country. I also made a very large 
garden close to my camp, in which I planted 
the seeds which I had bought at Naivasha, and 
had the satisfaction of finding that almost every 
English vegetable would grow well in that 
climate, while the black wattle I had planted 
also flourished splendidly, and has, I believe, 
at the present day grown into quite a little forest. 
With the opening up of the country by the 
railway, new difficulties arose. My own success 
in the country induced many traders, Somali, 
Arab, and Swahili, to try their fortunes with the 
natives, and so long as they stuck to legitimate 
trading, all went well, but they adopted methods 
which soon created a strong feeling of discontent 
throughout the country. In many cases these 
traders, who had very little in the way of trade 
goods, represented themselves as working for 
Karanjai — which was the native name by which 
I was known — and instead of doing any trading, 
billeted themselves on the natives, making them 
keep them, and would often even steal the sheep 
and other belongings of the Kikuyu. The natives 
repeatedly complained to me of the misbehaviour 
of these so-called traders, and when I told them 
that they were not my people, and that I had 
nothing to do with them, the natives sometimes 
retaliated on these men who were thus robbing 



242 JOHN BOYES 

them. Wandering Swahili, and the other rascals 
of their kind, came complaining to me. I told 
them that if they could not get on with the 
natives the best thing for them to do was to 
leave the country. 

Matters went on in this way for some time, 
incidents of the kind becoming more and more 
frequent, until the whole country was in a state 
of unrest, and as I was continually travelling 
about the country from one chief to another, 
I was always hearing of them^ and on one of 
these journeys, I had personal proof of the imposi- 
tion and robbery that was being practised -on 
the natives by these scoundrels. I happened to 
be in the neighbourhood of Mount Kenia — where 
it was still necessary to have a fair number of 
rifles to go about in safety — and two or three 
of these Somali traders, who had not guns enough 
to venture alone, had been following me on the 
journey, about a day's march behind. It ap- 
peared that at the last village at which they had 
stopped they had driven away about sixty sheep 
from the native kraal, and had afterwards sat 
down quietly to trade these sheep off for ivory 
in my camp. As soon as the case was brought 
to my notice, I at once ordered them to return 
the sheep, and told them that the best thing 
they could do was to get out of the country 
at once, as they could not count on my assistance 
if the natives attacked them. It came to my 



SMALLPOX 243 

knowledge that they had made their way down 
to Nairobi and there spread rejx)rts about my 
killing natives and taking their sheep away from 
them. The officials were practically ignorant of 
what was going on, and I knew that the reports 
of men being killed and things of that sort would 
be believed by them, in all probability — especially 
as I was a white man and the reports were 
brought by natives. This meant trouble for me 
both ways, as unless I got rid of these men they 
disturbed the peace of the whole country ; while 
if I did so they carried misleading reports to 
the Government — always ready to believe any- 
thing to the disadvantage of a white trader — 
and so, between the natives, the traders, and the 
Government, my position was no sinecure. 

It was about this time that the smallpox broke 
out in the country, and for the time being all 
my other troubles were relegated to the back- 
ground, in the face of the necessity for adequately 
dealing with this awful plague. We were having 
a shauri, when I noticed in the crowd an elderly 
man, a stranger to that part of the country, 
and a single glance was sufficient to show me 
that he was suffering from smallpox. I ex- 
plained to the natives the significance of my 
discovery, and told them that if he were allowed 
to mix with them they would certainly get the 
smallpox and die. They immediately stood 
away from him and said that I ought to shoot 



244 JOHN BOYES 

him, which to their savage mind was the most 
natural precaution to prevent the disease spread- 
ing. I explained to them that such a course 
was impossible, though in view of the subsequent 
events, the forfeiture of this man's life at that 
time would have meant the saving of thousands 
of lives which were lost in the epidemic of which 
he was the cause. I told the natives what they 
ought to do to avoid the infection, and arranged 
for an isolation camp to be built in which the 
man was placed, telling some of the people who 
lived near by to leave food for him at a respectful 
distance, so that he could fetch it for himself 
until he got better, and also instructed them 
to see that he did not, on any account, leave the 
camp. Some days later I was travelling through 
the country when I again saw the jpian in the 
crowd, and in great alarm sent some of my own 
men back to the isolation camp with him. But 
it was too late. The disease had already spread 
to others, and I saw a lot of bad cases among 
the people, and though I tried to get them all 
into isolation camps, it was practically no use. 
When an outbreak occurred in a family they 
would not report it, but continued to live and 
sleep together in the same hut, with the result 
that, in most cases, the whole family took the 
disease and died. I sent into Naivasha for some 
lymph and started vaccinating the people. They 
took the matter in the proper light, and raised 



I VACCINATE THOUSANDS 245 

no objection, so that I was able to vaccinate 
thousands of them, which must, undoubtedly, 
have been the means of saving many lives ; but 
in spite of all I could do, thousands died, many 
whole villages being wiped out. 

One rather remarkable thing about this 
epidemic was that Karuri's village escaped 
entirely, not a single case occurring among the 
inhabitants, which Karuri claimed to be due to 
certain precautions he took to ward off the evil. 
He got some sticks and split them down the 
middle, and then poured some black powder 
in the opening, afterwards pegging the sticks 
down across all the footpaths leading to the 
village. It did not keep people from coming 
in, and I could not see in what way the sticks 
could do any good, but Karuri had great faith 
in their virtues, and as no case of smallpox 
occurred in the village he took the credit for 
keeping it away. 

Karuri told me that one of the reasons of 
the respect with which he was regarded by his 
people was that he possessed a most wonderful 
poison. If any one even looked at this poison 
it caused certain death. The secret of this drug, 
he told me, had been handed down and preserved 
in his family for two or three generations. The 
poison itself was kept buried in the bush, one 
of the tribe being specially told off to guard it 
and dig up the package when it was required 



246 JOHN BOTES 

for use ; but I could never learn anything about 
the way in which it was used, and was very much 
incHned to beUeve that the whole thing was a 
legend, of which the old man made use to 
strengthen his influence among the people. I 
certainly believe that there was some box or 
package buried in the bush and carefully 
guarded, but whether it actually contained poison 
or anything else I question whether Karuri him- 
self could have told any one. The old man 
was always very anxious to possess samples 
of the poisons contained in my medicine-chest, 
but although I gave him many medicines of 
various kinds, I always refused to part with any 
of the poisons, as it is not improbable that he 
might have taken an opportunity of testing my 
immunity with some of them. 

While on this subject, some account of the 
native practice of protecting their shambas, or 
rather the crops growing in them, from thieves 
may be of interest. Of course this was done 
by playing on the superstitious fears of the 
savage, the usual method being to hang some 
article, such as an old earthenware cooking- 
pot, an old broken calabash, or best of all, the 
cast-off earthenware nozzles of smith's bellows, 
on a bush or tree near the edge of the cultivated 
patch, and any one pilfering in face of this 
warning to trespassers was supposed to fall sick. 



PROTECTING CROPS 247 

or even die, as the result of his temerity. A 
similar practice prevails on the West Coast, where 
a stick with a piece of cloth tied to it, or inserted 
in a cleft at the top, may often be seen in the 
cassava patch ; and it is supposed that any one 
violating the protection which this ju-ju is sup- 
posed to afford, will, at the least, suffer the loss 
of some portion of his body, which will rot away 
and drop off. 

The old saying that " it never rains but it 
pours " was abundantly verified in our case, only 
in a contrary sense to the literal meaning of 
the proverb. The failure of the rains in two 
successive seasons — which was attributed to the 
white man having brought the railway into the 
country — brought about a famine, which still 
further depleted the population. The country 
around Karuri's, being mountainous, was not 
affected so much as the part to the east of us, 
on the caravan road, and more towards the coast. 
At our high elevation, surrounded by the water- 
sheds of Mount Kenia and the Aberdare Range, 
we could always rely on a fair amount of rain, 
though we had had much less than usual during 
these two seasons. The general famine in the 
country affected me, inasmuch as the food which 
I was there to buy found its way out on the 
borders of the country, and consequently my 
supplies were cut off. Having occasion to go 
down to Nairobi about this time, I saw hundreds 



\ 



248 JOHN BOYES 

of poor wretches dead or dying on the road, 
while some of my men heard gruesome tales 
of men killing and eating each other in their 
desperation at the lack of food. No case of this 
kind came under my personal notice, but I have 
seen the natives sitting down and boiling the skins 
which they wore as clothing in the effort to 
soften them sufficiently to enable them to be 
eaten. 

Numbers of the starving people, when they 
heard that food was to be got in the part of 
the country from which I came, started out to 
try to get there, but were robbed and killed on 
the way by the Kalyera people. It sounds rather 
paradoxical speaking of starving people being 
robbed, but the statement is, nevertheless, per- 
fectly correct ; as, before starting out, these poor 
vagrants collected all their household goods and 
took them along with them, in the hope of ex- 
changing them for food. A few, indeed, had sheep 
and a few head of cattle with them. Thousands 
of these people would start off together, and being 
weak and exhausted with hunger, they fell an 
easy prey to the Kalyera. 

The natives begged me to take them out to 
Karuri's, and pitying their miserable condition, 
I agreed to do so, and got together a caravan 
of several thousands of the starving wretches, 
among whom were a number of natives who 
possessed a fair quantity of sheep — perhaps one 



FAMINE 249 

man would have thirty sheep, and another five or 
six head of cattle, while, of course, there were 
numbers of others who had absolutely nothing. 
It was pitiable to see these people staggering 
along, first one and then another dropping out 
to die on the road. Before starting out I made 
it perfectly plain to them that I would only lead 
them to the " land of promise " on condition 
that they placed themselves absolutely under my 
control and obeyed my orders in everything, and 
this they promised to do. When I saw them 
staggering along, almost too weak to drag one 
foot before the other, and dying at the rate of 
about fifty per day, I ordered those who had 
cattle and sheep to deliver them up to me, and 
each night when we got into camp, I had as 
many killed as were required to give them just 
enough food to keep them alive. Niggers have 
absolutely no feelings of humanity, and the 
owners of the sheep and cattle grumbled loudly 
at my action in feeding the others with their 
property, which they charged me with stealing. 
I felt perfectly justified, however, in the course 
I was adopting, although I was pretty certain at 
the time that these people would some day do 
their best to make trouble for me, by misrepre- 
senting the facts to the Government of^cials, who, 
while always ready to accept any statements 
against myself, were much less inclined to take 
the responsibility for their own laxity in the per- 



250 JOHN BOYES 

formance of their duty. I never ate any of the 
meat myself, nor did I allow any of my men to 
do so, so that it could not be said that I had 
any personal benefit from my action. 

As I anticipated, when I took the sheep one 
or two of the natives deserted from the caravan 
and went back to the Government station to 
report that I had been looting their sheep. After 
much difficulty I got the people through to the 
Kikuyu country, and distributed them to the 
different villages, giving them plainly to under- 
stand that they must behave themselves. 

Not being able at this time to buy any more 
food, I went about among the natives and started 
improving my own camp, cultivating the land, 
making roads, &c. On my visits to different 
parts of the country I talked with the chiefs and 
took general note of what was going on, and at 
the same time bought any ivory that I heard of. 
Eventually it was brought to my notice that the 
people I had billeted on the different villages 
when they were starving^ being now healthy and 
well fed, were bullying and domineering over 
the natives who had helped them in their time of 
misfortune. These people I had brought in had 
previously lived on the edge of the country, in 
touch with the white man and his civilization, 
consequently they had different notions and ideas 
from those amongst whom they had come to live, 
who had not, as yet, come in contact with any 



UNWELCOME GUESTS 251 

white man except myself. They decUned to 
acknowledge my authority, and endeavoured to 
assert their power over the natives by taking 
charge of the villages, and, in some cases, 
stealing their sheep and interfering with their 
womenfolk. This led to all kinds of trouble, 
and the people naturally became anxious to get 
rid of their unwelcome guests, and they came 
to me saying that, as I had brought them in, and 
they were now all right, they ought to leave the 
country. I explained this to the intruders, but 
they absolutely refused to go. Amongst the 
number were some Swahili, who would settle 
down in a village for a twelvemonth, simply 
loafing about and living on the natives ; and 
though they called themselves traders, they were 
really deserters from some caravans. There were 
also many who were wanted at the coast for 
different offences, and had somehow or other 
managed to get mixed up with the famine-stricken 
people. They knew that I was not a Government 
ofBcial, and as they refused to obey my orders I 
could not get rid of them. This gave rise to a 
lot of quarrelling, and a number of people were 
killed on both sides ; so that I could see that 
the only thing for the peace of the country was 
to get rid of this bad element at all costs. I 
therefore gave them three days' notice to quit, 
informing them that if they were found in the 
country at the end of that time I would not be 



252 JOHN BOY'ES 

responsible for anything that happened to them. 
They took no notice of my warning, and at the 
end of the three days the people took matters into 
their own hands, and drove them out of the 
country, when, although there was no really 
serious fighting, some of them got killed and 
several were wounded. The evicted ones, as I 
expected that they would, went straight to the 
officials and complained that I had robbed them 
of their sheep and driven them out of the 
country. I was first informed of this by a letter 
from Mr. Gilkinson, the Government official at 
Nairobi, and at once sent Karuri and some of the 
other chiefs into Nairobi to explain the true facts 
of the case, thinking that a personal interview 
between the official and the natives would be 
much more effective than any statement that I, 
a white man, could make. This idea was ap- 
parently correct, as the explanation which they 
gave proved quite satisfactory — at least, this was 
the impression which was conveyed to me by 
the report which they made to me on their return. 
The country having been rid of the disturbing 
element of these alien rogues, I now settled down 
once more to a peaceful mode of life, going 
from village to village buying food, and sending 
in supplies at more regular intervals to Naivasha, 
where they were very badly needed. There was 
no further difficulty in finding porters, and a 
safari of from five hundred to one thousand men 



DAILY LIFE 253 

went down to the Government station regularly 
about once every month to take in the food. 

Some account of the ordinary routine of my 
daily life among these people may prove of 
interest to the general reader. Everybody turned 
out, as a rule, about six a.m., and while I had 
my morning cup of tea and biscuits, or possibly 
a dish of porridge made from mawhali or 
umkanori flour, with fresh milk, the men turned 
out and cleaned up the camp thoroughly. This 
over, the men were formed up for a couple of 
hours' drill and rifle exercise — a training which 
every man, whether one of the askaris or not, 
had to go through, so that, in the event of my 
losing a few askaris, I always had trained men 
ready to take their places. At first, of course, 
I had to undertake this daily drill myself, but 
after a time the native sergeant and corporal 
became proficient enough to relieve me of 
everything but superintendence of the parade. 
Drill was over about ten o'clock, and then I 
held a court for the trial of any serious cases of 
crime, or met the chiefs and elders in consultation 
with regard to measures for the general welfare 
of the people. By the time this was over it 
was time for lunch, which was my first real meal 
of the day, and generally consisted of a dish of 
mutton — and the native miUtton is some of the 
best in the world. This was sometimes varied 
by European tinned provisions, of which I always 



254 JOHN BOYES 

kept a fairly good stock at my headquarters. 
The afternoon was spent in overseeing the work 
of the men in my shamba, attending to the repair 
or rebuilding of any of the huts that were in need 
of attention, or carrying out improvements in 
the camp — unless any of the chiefs had come 
in to see me, in which case the afternoon would 
be given up to interviewing them. Dinner was 
served about seven o'clock, in European style, 
as I had been fortunate enough to get a really 
good Swahili cook, who could turn out a most 
appetising meal at very short notice. Of course, 
I had to dine in solitary state, being the only 
white man in the country, and about eight or 
nine o'clock I would turn in for the night. This, 
of course, was the day's programme at head- 
quarters, though when out on safari I made 
a point of following the same routine, as far 
as the circumstances allowed. One day in each 
week I had a big dance at my place ; and this 
day was practically a holiday, the dance taking 
precedence of all ordinary work. 

The daily life of a chief in times of peace 
does not present much variety, and the following 
account of a day out of the life of my friend 
Karuri is a fair sample. He was not quite such an 
early riser as myself, usually putting in an appear- 
ance to count his cattle and other stock when they 
were let out to graze, which, owing to the fogs 
and damp generally prevailing at that elevation 



SACRIFICE TO NGAI 265 

in the early morning, was not generally done 
until about eight o'clock. There was no regular 
morning meal among these people, who were in 
the habit of indulging in a sweet potato or a 
few bananas whenever they felt hungry. Having 
finished counting his stock, the greater part of 
the day would be spent in settling disputes and 
hearing minor cases, which, owing to the native 
love of argument, were often of interminable 
length. The old gentleman took no interest in 
the working of his shambas, which he left 
entirely to his wives, of whom he had some 
sixty or more. As the hearing of the cases was 
accompanied by much drinking of njohi, both 
judge and litigants were apt to be in a somewhat 
foggy condition by the time the Court adjourned 
for the day, which did not generally take place 
until the time for the evening meal, which, as 
I have mentioned, is really the only regular meal 
of the day for Kikuyu. Sometimes the cases 
were not even closed then, but as soon as 
darkness came on judge and litigants would 
adjourn to a hut, and continue the discussion 
over the sweet potatoes, until it was time for 
them to turn in, which they usually did about 
nine o'clock. 

One not infrequent interruption to the ordinary 
routine of Karuri's day was the sacrificial meal 
of a sheep, in honour of their god, Ngai, which 
took place sometimes as often as twice or thrice 



256 JOHN BOYES 

a week. Whether the old chief's fondness for 
roast mutton had anything to do with the 
frequency of his offerings I cannot say, but he 
certainly never seemed to neglect any opportunity 
which served as an excuse for one of these meals . 
As I was present on some of the occasions, it 
may be worth while to give some description 
of the ceremony, for which no extra preparations 
were made on my account, as is sometimes the 
case when white men are to be present at any 
of their functions. 

At the time appointed, Karuri, accompanied 
6y any others who were to take part in the 
ceremony, went out into one of the " sacred 
groves " in the bush, taking with them a sheep, 
which, on arrival at the spot where the sacrifice 
was to take place, was killed by strangling, its 
throat being cut directly it was dead, and the 
blood caught in a calabash, and put on one side. 
A sort of wooden gridiron was then made, by 
planting four upright sticks in the ground and 
laying others across them, under which a fire 
was lighted, and the sheep, having by this time 
been cut up, was roasted on this. While the 
cooking was going on, the blood, which had been 
put on one side, was put into the stomach, thus 
making a sort of black-pudding, which was then 
roasted, and eaten after the meat. The meat 
was eaten in the Abyssinian fashion, each man 
taking up the joint, and biting hold of as much 



ROAST MUTTON 257 

as he could get into his mouth, the mouthful 
then being severed from the joint with his sword, 
and the joint passed on to his neighbour, who 
did the same. I managed to introduce one or 
two slight modifications into the manufacture of 
the black-puddings, by getting them to cut up 
some of the fat, and mix it with the blood, and 
boil the ingredients, instead of baking them. No 
women or children were ever allowed to be 
present on any occasion when the men were 
eating meat, as, like the Masai, the Kikuyu do 
not allow their women to touch meat, and 
therefore, to keep them out of temptation, never 
allow them to see the men eat it. » . 

How much religious significance this ceremony V 
had I should not like to say : the fact that it 
was always held in one of the sacred groves 
would seem to imply that it had some connexion 
with their religion, but, as there was no further 
ceremony than I have described, I always had a 
lurking suspicion that it was simply an excuse 
for a good meal of roast mutton, and that the 
groves were chosen for the meeting-place as 
being more likely to be secure from interruption 
from the women and children. 

While on the subject of sheep-eating, it may 
be worth while to mention another of their 
peculiar superstitious practices, much encouraged 
by the medicine men, which was known by the 
somewhat unpleasant name of " vomiting sin." 



268 JOHN BO YES 

When a man was sick, and went to the witch 
doctor to be cured of his illness, he was very 
often told that his illness was due to the anger 
of God at some sin he had committed, and that, 
if he wished to recover, the only thing to do 
was for him to go through an extremely 
unpleasant ceremony, which I will describe. If 
he agreed to do so — and I do not think that the 
man who refused would enjoy much good health 
afterwards — he brought a sheep to the witch 
doctor, who, having killed it, wound portions of 
the entrails round the patient's neck, wrists, and 
ankles. Then, taking out the dung, he emptied 
it into a calabash, and mixed it with water, until 
it was quite liquid. Taking his place opposite 
the patient, who squatted on the floor with his 
mouth open, the witch doctor took a couple of 
small bundles of twigs with the leaves on, and 
' commenced beating the mixture in the bowl with 
them, and splashing it into the patient's mouth 
until he was violently sick, when the sin was 
supposed to be got rid of, and the patient would 
go away expecting to be quite well in a short 
time. 

On my asking one of these old frauds what 
became of the sheep, he explained that he would 
eat it himself, as if any one else ventured to 
touch the meat, he would die at once. When 
I said that I should have no objection to eating 
a leg, and was certain that no ill consequence 



TROUBLE WITH THE KALYERA 259 

would follow, he replied : * Of course you could 
eat it quite safely. You are a great witch doctor 
like myself ; but if any of these savages ate it, 
they would die at once ! " 

In the meantime,, I made friends, by Pigasangi, 
with those natives with whom I had tried, on my 
first journey through the country, to make 
arrangements for that ceremony, and who said 
at the time, it will be remembered, they would 
wait. This enabled me to open up fresh food 
stations, and altogether my enterprise in that 
direction was progressing very satisfactorily. 
The only people who now caused me any trouble 
were the Kalyera, with whom I had always to be 
cautious when passing the borders of their 
country, as they were continually on the war-path, 
and I heard that they had lately extended their 
operations into close proximity to the railway, 
where they had been giving a lot of trouble by 
robbing and killing the Indians engaged on its 
construction . 

Living, as I did, in close touch with the 
everyday life of the natives, I became well 
acquainted with their manners and habits of 
living, and I also managed to learn a good deal 
of their genealogy. I found that the Kikuyu 
tribe was divided into a number of clans, or 
mahlrrlga, each of which bore a distinctive 
heraldic sign on their shields. The origin of 
these clans was wrapped in mystery, none of 



260 JOHN BOYES 

the natives with whom I discussed the question 
being able to tell me how they originally came 
into existence, or what was their real purpose. 
The word " clan/' as we understand it, suggests 
unity and combination, but this certainly was not 
the interpretation of the term accepted by the 
members of these Kikuyu clans, the members 
of which were mixed up indiscriminately, and 
scattered all over the country. They all knew 
to which of the clans they belonged, and there 
the connexion seemed to end, so far as I could 
gather. The only similar instance of such 
*' clans " that I can call to mind is the "clan " 
system which formerly existed among the Red 
Indians of North America, where men of 
different, and often hostile, tribes might belong 
to the same " clan," the clans being known 
by the names of various animals, such as bear, 
wolf, fox, &c. 

All the Kikuyu worship a god called Ngai, 
and I was given to understand that they had 
also another god, whom they called Ngoma, 
though this latter appeared to correspond more 
to our idea of the devil ; for example, when a 
native went into a fit of hysterics at one of their 
war-dances, as I have previously stated was 
frequently the case, they said that it was Ngoma 
who had entered into him and caused it. 

I noticed, in various parts of the country, quite 
a number of large trees which had been left 



NGAI OR HYENA? '261 

standing alone, and which I took to have been 
left as landmarks when the ground had been 
cleared for cultivation. They were usually to 
be found on the top of a hill, and stood out 
prominently in the landscape. I found on 
inquiry, however, that these trees were looked 
upon as sacred, and had some religious or 
superstitious significance. The natives had many 
other curious beliefs and practices, and had many 
ways of seeking the favour of their god Ngai. 
Some of the chiefs, when things did not go right, 
were in the habit of killing a sheep, which they 
then took into the bush, and left there as a 
sacrifice to Ngai ; and when a sheep had been 
sacrificed in this way, none of the natives would 
go near it, for fear of offending the god. When 
I remarked that Ngai did not eat, and therefore 
did not require food, they replied, " Oh, yes, 
in the morning everything is gone." I took 
the trouble to find out what became of the sheep, 
and, as I expected, saw that the hyenas came 
during the night and ate it ; and, to prove this, 
I shot a hyena one night while in the act of 
devouring the sacrificial sheep. But when I told 
them that this was the Ngai for whose benefit 
they were making these sacrifices, it did not alter 
their belief. Some of them told me that Ngai 
lived on the top of Mount Kenia ; but others 
said that his habitation was on a mountain in 
the Kedong Valley, not far from Lake Naivasha. 



262 JOHN BOYES 

This mountain, on the summit of which is the 
crater of an extinct volcano, called Longanot, 
is known by the name of Kilemongai, which 
means " the mountain of God " ; and it was said 
by the natives that any one going up this moun- 
tain would never come down again, as they were 
bound to die up there. This piece of superstition 
probably originated when the mountain was 
active, and there was every probability that 
any one going up would have but a poor chance 
of getting down alive. 

When going down to Naivasha I had on 
various occasions noticed that the natives when 
they crossed certain streams used to leave a little 
food at a particular place, generally a few sweet 
potatoes broken up— sometimes it was left in 
the bush ; and when I asked why they had 
done that, they gave me to understand that they 
were performing some religious rite, but I never 
managed to get any satisfactory explanation 
of it. 

Still more curious, to my mind, were some 
huge heaps of stones to be seen at certain places 
as we passed along the caravan track. When 
we came within sight of one of these heaps a 
native would pick up a stone, or he had, perhaps, 
been carrying one for some time in anticipation 
of coming to the spot, and cast it on the heap, 
at the same time muttering some prayer to Ngai, 
as it was on these occasions that he would 



TRAVELS IN ABYSSINIA 263 

ask Ngai for anything that he was in need of. 
It struck me as very remarkable that in my 
later travels in Abyssinia I should come across 
the same kind of heaps of stones, while some 
of my Abyssinian followers went through a 
similar performance of adding to the heap. 
When I questioned an Abyssinian as to the 
meaning of the performance, he would reply by 
pointing in the direction of a church, which stood 
on the top of a hill away in the distance, and 
tell me that, not being able to go to the church 
to make his devotions, he threw a stone on the 
heap as a substitute for the performance of his 
religious duty ; and I noticed that while putting 
the stone on the heap he would bow towards 
the church. The Abyssinians are, of course, 
members of a branch of the Coptic Church, and 
it struck me as possible that the idea had in 
some way travelled from them to the Kikuyu, 
who copied it, not knowing precisely what it 
meant, but understanding that it was some form 
of worship of Ngai. 

I have already mentioned that the practice of 
spitting plays a large part in many of the Kikuyu 
customs, and I also found that the same thing 
prevailed among the people in the district up 
towards Lake Rudolph, and in fact it was the 
custom with the majority of the people up towards 
the north, as I found when I came in contact 
with them in my later travels. It might seem 



264 JOHN BOYES 

to Europeans a vulgar thing to enlarge upon, 
but it was by no means regarded in the ^ame 
light by the inhabitants of East Africa, amongst 
whom it was regarded as the highest compliment 
you could pay a man if you spat on him, or, 
better still, on his children. On my first intro- 
duction to the big savage chief Wagombi, he 
asked me to spit on his children ; and among 
both the Masai and Kikuyu a friendly introduc- 
tion was not complete unless spitting had entered 
into it . They very seldom speak of their children 
without spitting, and I concluded that the practice 
denoted respect. 

The Kikuyu had a great variety of dances ; 
some were for men only and some for women 
only, while there were some in which it was 
the custom for both sexes to take part. There 
was also one particular dance, which was danced 
by all the young boys before they were circum- 
cised, in which all who took part were painted 
white from head to foot, while each wore a kind 
of toy shield on the left arm and carried, in place 
of the usual spear of the warriors, a white wand, 
decorated with white goat's hair. This band of 
whitewashed young savages went from village 
to village performing their dance, which they 
did very well, keeping remarkably good time, 
and as the postures were gone through each time 
in exactly the same way and in precisely the 
same order, it was evident that they had 



FEAR OF THE DEAD 265 

some recognized rule and method in their 
dancing. 

Although the Kikuyu are fearless fighters when 
their blood is up and will slay their enemies 
without the slightest compunction, they have a 
most extraordinary fear of the dead, and would 
not on any account touch a corpse, for which 
reason they never bury their dead. I have known 
a few instances of particularly wealthy or im- 
portant natives being accorded the honour of 
burial, but, as a rule, when a native dies, if 
he happens to be in his hut, the body is left there, 
and no one ever enters the hut again. If a 
poor man, or a man of no particular standing, 
happens to fall sick, and they think he is likely 
to die, he is carried into the bush at some distance 
from the village, a fire is lighted, and a pile of 
wood placed handy so that he can replenish it, 
and he is then left to die. 

The Kikuyu, like nearly all other African 
tribes, are polygamous, and the general rule 
seems to be that any ordinary individual may 
have three or four wives, though, as marriage 
is simply a question of paying so much for the 
woman, the number is apt to vary with the man's 
wealth, some of the bigger chiefs having as 
many as twenty or thirty. They do not, of 
course, regard women in the same way that we 
do, but look upon them more in the light of 
slaves, the value of a wife being reckoned at 



t/ 



266 JOHN BOYES 

about thirty sheep. The women have to do all 
the work of the family and house, the man him- 
self doing practically nothing. They build the 
huts, cultivate the shambas, and do all the field 
work, though at certain times of the year when 
new ground has to be cleared for cultivation the 
men condescend to take a share in the work. 
Each wife has her own separate hut, where she 
lives with her family, and, if her husband is a 
big chief, he may have a hut for his own in- 
dividual use, but, as a rule, he resides with his 
different wives alternately. They have very 
large families, and the children begin to take 
their share of the work at a very early age— 
the little girl of three years of age relieving her 
mother of the care of the baby of one year, 
and, as they grow older, their share in the work 
increases in proportion. The very young boys 
have their share in the work too, and may be 
seen at a very early age tending the herds of 
cattle, sheep, and goats . This practice, prevalent 
almost throughout Africa, of making the woman 
support the family, while the man does little 
but loaf or fight, is at the root of the often openly 
expressed desire of the (so-called) Christian 
natives that the Church should allow polygamy 
among her African converts— a desire which has 
been quite as strongly expressed by the '* civi- 
lized " and educated natives on the West Coast 
as among the more primitive tribes of the East 
and the interior. 



VEGETARIANISM 267 

On the whole, the people seemed to lead a 
very happy and contented life. They are almost 
vegetarians in their manner of living, their staple 
food being sweet potatoes, although they include 
a variety of other articles in their diet, such as 
yams (which they call kigwa), matama, beans, 
Indian corn (or maize), and a smaller grain 
called mawhall, besides bananas, sugar-cane, &c. 
They also have a very small grain like canary- 
seed, called umkanori, Which they grind into flour 
by means of a hand-mill, composed of two stones 
—a large one at the bottom, on which they place 
the grain, and a smaller one on top, with which 
they grind it, after the fashion of the mills 
described in the Bible as being in use in the 
East thousands of years ago. With the flour 
made from the umkanori-seed they make a kind 
of porridge, which I found very palatable. The 
natives call it a jura, and it combines the pro- 
perties of both food and drink, being left to 
ferment until it somewhat resembles tywala, or 
Kafir beer, and is very nourishing. When the 
natives are going on a journey which takes them 
any distance from their homes, or out to work 
in the fields, they take a calabash of ujuru with 
them, a smaller calabash, cut in half, being used 
as a cup, into which the liquid is poured for 
drinking. 

The Kikuyu appeared to have no regular hour 
for eating, except in the evening, when the day's 



268 JOHN BOYES 

work is over. Then everybody, men, women, 
and children, could be seen sitting round a huge 
calabash, cut in half to form a kind of basin, 
all helping themselves from the contents of the 
vessel, which would, perhaps, consist of sweet 
potatoes, or Indian corn, or perhaps bananas, 
roasted. In connexion with this custom of the 
evening meal, I may here make mention of the 
open-handed hospitality which is the rule rather 
than the exception among all the native races 
of Africa ; in fact, I make bold to say that any 
man who is willing to work at all cannot pos- 
sibly be stranded in Africa, unless, it may be, 
in one of the larger towns. I have often noticed 
a native come into a village at the time of the 
evening meal, walk up to the circle, and sit down 
and help himself to sweet potatoes or whatever 
there might be ; and on my remarking to the 
headman on the number of his grown-up sons 
I have been told, *' Oh, that is not one of my 
sons ; he is a stranger." When I asked where 
he came from, I was told that they did not know ; 
they had not asked him even his name, and knew 
nothing whatever about him. He would settle 
himself by the fire for the night, and go on 
his way the next morning without his host being 
any the wiser as to his name or where he came 
from. 

This is only one of the points in which the 
ignorant heathen so often set an example worthy 



METHOD OF COOKING 269 

of imitation by some of the so-called civilized 
Christians. 

They grow a calabash which serves them for 
almost every household purpose, such as storing 
liquid, carrying water, or as a drinking vessel. 
For carrying grain or other purposes of that 
kind they make a bag from the fibre which they 
obtain from certain trees, and which varies in 
size according to the purpose for which it 
is required ; while for cooking or for storing 
large quantities of water they use earthenware 
pots, which are made in certain districts of the 
Kikuyu country in practically the same way 
as pottery was made in the early days in 
our own country, being fashioned out of a 
particular kind of clay and then burnt to 
harden them. The method of cooking is very 
much the same throughout Africa, a small 
fire being made within a triangle, composed 
of three large stones . An old camp may always 
be recognized by these three stones, which show 
where the fire was made for cooking, although 
all other traces of the camp may have dis- 
appeared under a luxuriant growth of grass, 
several feet high. 

The Kikuyu make all their own weapons- 
spears, swords, and arrows— from the iron which 
is found in various parts of the country, and 
which they smelt in the old-fashioned way. I 
found that the style of bellows used by them 



270 JOHN BOYES 

was the same as those I had seen in other parts 
of Africa, being made out of a sheepskin, 
fashioned to a pointed bag, which, when opened, 
admitted the air and expelled it again when 
pressed down. Two sets of bellows were worked 
together, one with each hand. The native black- 
smith uses a large stone as an anvil, and 
possesses a variety of hammers, some of them 
being simply ordinary pieces of stone, while 
others are in the form of a dumb-bell, which he 
grasps in the middle when striking with it. 
Singularly enough, the tongs which he uses to 
hold the heated iron are practically the same as 
those used by the English blacksmith. As the 
smith is, of course, paid for his labour in kind, 
he charges one sheep for a spear, while a sword 
may be had for the same price. I found that 
a lot of the iron-wire which I brought into the 
country was worked up into swords and spears, 
possibly because it entailed less labour than the 
working up of the native iron. In addition to 
the fighting weapons, they made iron rings and 
chains, which were worn as ornaments. 

Speaking of ornaments, one very characteristic 
feature of Kikuyu adornment is the enormous size 
of their ear appendages— they cannot be called 
earrings. When the children are quite young a 
hole is made in the lobe of the ear, similar to 
the fashion in Europe of piercing the lobe for 
earrings. But they are not content with the com- 



USE OF SNUFF 271 

paratively small ornaments that satisfy the vanity 
of European women : their ambition is to have the 
ear ornament as large as they can possibly 
manage ; so the hole in the lobe of the ear 
is distended by means of a series of wooden 
pegs, gradually increasing in size until it is 
large enough to allow of the insertion of 
a jam-jar or condensed milk tin, which are 
by no means unusual ornaments fbr a 
native to be seen wearing in the ear. And 
very proud they are as they go about wear- 
ing these extraordinary adornments, which one 
would think must be decidedly uncomfortable 
for the wearers ; they certainly appear so to 
European eyes, but the natives do not seem to 
consider them so, and are quite satisfied with 
the effect. 

I do not think that I have mentioned that the 
Kikuyu cultivate a large amount of tobacco from 
which to make snuff, for, although they do not 
smoke, all the men take snuff. Many of the 
other tribes grow tobacco, but not to such an 
extent as the Kikuyu, who know better how to 
cure it than any of their neighbours ; in fact, 
the Kikuyu tobacco has such a reputation in the 
country that to my surprise I found that the 
natives about Lake Rudolph, and even right 
round as far as Abyssinia, were inquiring for 
Kikuyu tobacco. 

The most striking incidents of my life at this 



272 



JOHN BOYES 



time while I was living among the Kikuyu were 
occurrences which took place on some of the 
journeys down to Naivasha with the caravans 
taking in food. On two occasions while march- 
ing down I had people killed by elephants, which 
were fairly numerous in the bamboo forest at 
certain times of the year. With a safari of a 
thousand men the long line of porters extended 
for about five or six miles, winding through the 
forest like a huge serpent and tailing away into 
the distance ; and occasionally, when an elephant 
crossed the path, one of the stragglers in the 
rear would find himself suddenly encircled round 
the body by an elephant's trunk and hurled 
several feet in the air, to be trampled to death 
under the ponderous brute's feet when his body 
crashed to the ground again. The porters 
nearest to him would then set up a shout, which 
was repeated all along the line until it reached 
me, when I would immediately rush back as 
quickly as possible, only to find, when I at length 
reached the spot, that the elephant had been 
lost in the forest long before I got there, the 
bamboos growing so thickly that it could not 
be seen for any great distance. Incidents of 
this sort happened on two occasions on the road 
to Naivasha. 

The forest was full of animal life, including 
a fair number of bushbuck and some specimens 
of a very rare kind of buck known as the bongo . 



FOREST EXPERIENCES 273 

The bongo has horns Uke those of the bushbuck, 
but very much larger, curving backwards with 
one or two spiral twists, and ending in a point 
tipped with white. The hide is reddish in colour, 
with very narrow white stripes. There are a 
few of the species to be found at the Ravine. 
Among the other inhabitants of the forest I have 
seen wart hogs arid wild pigs, while the colobus 
monkey makes his home in the bamboo forest, 
and is regarded as sacred by the natives, who, 
as far as I could understand, were in the habit 
of placing sacrifices in the forest, which these 
monkeys came and ate. The skin of the colobus 
monkey is greatly prized, the hair being very 
long, while the upper part of the body is jet 
black, with a white stripe down each side, widen- 
ing towards the tail, which is also white, the 
result of the peculiar arrangement of the two 
colours being to give the animal a very curious 
appearance. Guinea-fowl were very plentiful, 
and I also saw some partridges, but was never 
tempted to shoot any. At times we had great 
difficulty in getting through the forest, in con- 
sequence of the elephants having pulled down 
a number of the bamboos and thus blocked 
the path, and we frequently had to make a new 
path before we could proceed on our journey. 

I had some personal experiences with animals 
in the forest, which added a little excitement 
to the journeys. On one occasion as we were 



274 JOHN BOYES 

going along some of the boys pointed into the 
bush, saying, " Yama," which is the Swahili word 
for meat, and is applied indiscriminately to any 
animal. It was getting dusk, and, peering into 
the bush, I could see something dark moving, 
but not being able in the half-darkness to see 
what it was, I thought that the best thing to 
do was to try the effect of a bullet on it. I 
had no sooner fired than the animal charged 
out on me, and I saw that it was a huge 
rhinoceros. Having only soft -nosed bullets, my 
shot had not injured it, and as it was only about 
ten paces from where I was standing I had only 
just time to spring out of the way before it 
blundered past me. Immediately every man 
dropped his load and sprang up the nearest tree, 
while the rhino, after passing me, slowed down 
and began sniffing about among the loads which 
the porters had thrown to the ground in their 
hurry to get to places of safety. Although I 
knew that unless I could hit him in a vulnerable 
spot it was no use firing, I gave him a few 
shots at random, which had the effect of driving 
him off. 

One night we had a peculiar experience with 
a lion. With such a number of porters it was 
impossible to provide tents for all the men, so 
we used to bivouac at nights either on the edge 
of the forest or i!n some deep ravine where we 
were sheltered from the witid. On the particular 



I 



A NIGHT IN A RAVINE 275 

evening of which I am writing we were settled 
for the night in a ravine, and I was suddenly 
aroused from my sleep by shouting, howling, 
and the waving of firebrands, while at the same 
moment a huge boulder came crashing through 
my tent. Thinking that it was at least an attack 
by the Kalyera or Masai or some of the other 
natives, I rushed out of my tent to find that 
what had really happened was that a lion had 
come prowling round the camp, and was in the 
act of springing on some man sleeping below 
when he dislodged a boulder from the over- 
hanging ledge on which he was crouching for 
the spring, which had dropped on my tent. The 
noise made by the porters and the stone slipping 
from under its feet must have scared the animal, 
as he made off just as I came out. There were 
quite a number of lions on the Kinangop Plain 
and near Naivasha, so we always made big fires 
at night to guard the camp, and never had the 
bad Juck to have any one taken. One day a 
Masai reported that a lion had been into the 
kraal and had killed thirty sheep, every one of 
which had been killed by a tap of his paw, but 
none of them had been eaten. 

I was told of a remarkable occurrence which 
had taken place at Naivasha. One of the officials 
there had a white horse, and one night a prowling 
lion sprang on its back. Hearing the noise, one 
of the soldiers fired, and, although it was too 



276 JOHN BOYES 

dark to take an accurate aim, he was fortunate 
enough to hit the Hon, which dropped off the 
horse's back dead, while the horse was none the 
worse, save for a few scratches from the lion's 
claws. Of course, it was purely a chance shot, 
as it was much too dark for the man to see 
clearly, and that was probably how he came 
to kill the lion— niggers being, as a rule, atrocious 
shots with a rifle. 

When going into Naivasha, the country around 
there being considered practically safe, I often 
used to gallop on ahead of the caravan on my 
mule, taking only a couple of boys with me, to 
let them know that the safari was coming and 
to make arrangements for it on arrival. On 
one of these occasions, when crossing the 
Kinangop Plain, I had a rather lively experience 
with a leopard. After being cooped up in the 
hills for so long it was a pleasure to get a good 
gallop over the open plain, and I was riding 
along, thoroughly enjoying the exercise, when, 
chancing to look round to see how far my gun- 
bearer was behind, I saw a leopard following 
me at a distance of about thirty yards. I at 
once pulled up, when the leopard immediately 
followed my example, and, after looking at one 
another for a minute or two, the animal began 
walking slowly up and down, swishing its tail 
about, and looking for all the world like a big 
cat, but it did not offer to approach any nearer. 



I KILL A LEOPARD 277 

This went on for some time, until I at last saw 
the boy come into sight, carrying my gun ; but 
directly he saw the leopard, which was between 
us, he was afraid to come any farther, and though 
I waved my hand to him to make his way round 
to me, he would not move. The leopard still 
continued to march up and down, until presently 
it saw the boy and appeared to hesitate, as if 
wondering which of us to attack, though my 
mule had evidently been the first attraction. 
The animal seemed to be puzzled at seeing me 
on its back, and apparently did not quite know 
what to make of it. Seeing that the boy was 
too scared to come to me, I made a detour— 
the leopard still following me at about the same 
distance— and as soon as I reached the boy I 
dismounted quickly, and, taking my gun from 
him, fired at the animal, and evidently hit him, 
for he gave a bound and cleared off. Whilst he 
was making off as fast as he could go I managed 
to get two more shots in, and followed him until 
he disappeared into some bushes. Knowing that 
one does not stand a chance with a wounded 
leopard in a bush, I hesitated to follow, but I 
did not like to leave it ; so I tried, by throwing 
stones and in other ways, to find out whether it 
was still alive and likely to be dangerous or 
whether I had actually finished it. Hearing no 
movement, I plucked up courage, after some 
manoeuvring, to go into the bush. Moving as 



278 JOHN BOYES 

stealthily as I could, not knowing whether the 
animal might not spring out on me at any 
moment, I worked my way cautiously in, but 
I had not gone many yards before I found it 
lying stone dead. 

A wounded leopard is one of the most 
dangerous animals in the world to tackle, and 
two of my friends were lamed for life as a result 
of following up leopards which they had only 
wounded. One was a man named Hall, and 
the other a hunter named Vincent. The latter 
had wounded a leopard, and was following it 
into the bush when the animal sprang at him 
suddenly and tried to seize him by the throat, 
and a hand-to-hand fight ensued. Vincent 
managed to throw the animal off and fired at 
it, but it flew at him again, and the struggle went 
on until he had emptied his magazine into the 
brute's body, having fired ten rounds into it. 
The leopard had managed in the struggle to 
fasten its teeth in his knee and to bite him very 
severely. As the result blood poisoning set in, 
and Vincent was laid up for several months and 
was lamed for life. 



CHAPTER X 

Government send an expedition into my country to take 
over the administration — Go with my followers to meet the 
Government officials — Am asked to disarm my followers by 
the Government officials, who are in a state of panic — 
Consent to this to allay their fears, and am then put under 
arrest — Am charged with " dacoity " — Am sent down to 
Mombasa to be tried, and placed in the jail — Am released 
on bail — Tried and acquitted — I am appointed intelligence 
officer, and guide to a Government expedition into the 
Kikuyu country 

I HAD been living and trading in the Kikuyu 
country for something like two and a half 
years now, and during the whole of that 
time had had no white visitors in the country, 
when one day the news was brought in that some 
white men had come into my neighbourhood. 
News of an event of this sort of course spreads 
very quickly, and the natives reported to me 
that at Mberri, about thirty miles to the east 
of my headquarters, two white men were camp- 
ing with a lot of troops, and had commenced 
to build a fort. When I had made a few 
inquiries, I found that they were Government 
officials, who had come out to take over the 
country, and when I was satisfied of this, as 
soon as I could spare the time, I called all the 

279 



280 JOHN BOYES 

chiefs together and told them that these two white 
men were evidently officers of the Government 
and had come to take the country over, and 
that as it had hitherto fallen to my lot to settle 
quarrels and disputes and generally manage the 
affairs of the whole country, so now, I explained, 
these new-comers had been sent for that purpose 
and to take my place. I gave the chiefs some 
days' notice to be ready to go up with me, and 
said that I would take them up and introduce 
them to the officials. 

When the time came to start for Mberri all 
the chiefs did not turn up, but I found that a 
good number of the thirty-six who at that time 
looked to me as their head were ready to accom- 
pany me. Each chief brought some of his 
followers with him, and we started off with about 
one thousand men, and, as it was too far for a 
day's march, I camped after travelling about 
three-parts of the way to the fort. Resuming 
our journey the next morning, we had nearly 
covered the remaining portion of the distance, 
when it suddenly struck me that if such a large 
body of armed natives were seen approaching 
the fort without any notice of their coming having 
been received, they might easily be mistaken for 
a hostile force coming to attack the new station, 
so I called a halt about two or three miles from 
the fort, and, leaving the natives behind, went 
on ahead to report their arrival. 



GOVERNMENT EXPEDITION 281 

On reaching Mberri I met one of the officers 
in charge of the fort, a Mr. Hall, who turned out 
to be a man I knew very well, having met him 
previously at Fort Smith, when he was in charge 
of that station ; while Captain Longfield, who 
was with him, was also known to me through my 
having been in communication with him on 
several occasions respecting certain happenings 
in the Kikuyu country. The two officials received 
me in a friendly way and invited me to have some 
breakfast with them. Having reported to them 
that I had brought in a number of friendly chiefs 
to introduce to them, and explained my mission, 
I sent a man back to my people to tell them to 
come on in, and was still at breakfast when I 
heard a lot of shouting and talking, and went out 
to see what was the matter. On asking what 
the fuss was about, I was told that my askaris 
were being placed under arrest, and when I 
inquired what they had been doing, was told 
that they had no right to be in uniform. As a 
matter of fact they were not wearing a Govern- 
ment uniform, but as they were all dressed alike 
in khaki, this was made a pretext for a display 
of officiousness on the part of the officials, and 
the officer proceeded to cut some buttons off 
their tunics, and the rank badges off the arms 
of the sergeant and corporal, which, as I alone 
was responsible for their dress, was a needlessly 
insulting piece of red tape. I had previously 



282 JOHN BOYES 

ordered my men to disarm, and they submitted 
very quietly to the insulting disfigurement of their 
clothes. My greatest crime of all in the eyes 
of these officials, however, was the fact that I 
was flying the Union Jack, which my men carried 
with them, as they were accustomed to do on 
all their expeditions. I mildly put the question to 
the officer as to whether he expected me to fly 
the Russian flag, or any other except that of 
my own country, but it seemed that, to the official 
mind, it was a most serious offence for an 
Englishman to display the flag under which he 
had been born and for which he had fought, 
unless he held some position in the official 
oligarchy which ruled, or was in the habit of 
thinking it ruled, the country. 

In the meantime a fearful row was going on 
amongst my people and the other Kikuyu who 
lived near Mberri, who had joined them. Mr. 
Hall and Captain Longfield were in a terrible 
state of panic. They asked me why I had 
brought all those men there, saying that there 
was bound to be a fight, and no end of trouble. 
I told them that there would be no trouble with 
my men, as I could manage them all right. They 
asked me to disarm them, and I agreed to do 
so, provided that they would be responsible for 
their weapons, and on their undertaking to do so, 
I explained to the chiefs that it was the white 
men's wish that they should disarm. This they 



1 AM A PRISONER 283 

very reluctantly consented to do, and gave up 
their weapons on my assuring them that they 
would be restored to them. 

When my men were all disarmed, and their 
weapons had been safely stowed in a tent, under 
the care of a sentry, the official announced that I 
was to consider myself a prisoner as well. To 
this I merely replied, " All right," feeling that 
if I were to express the feelings of utter con- 
tempt I possessed at that moment for these two 
gallant specimens of British officialdom, it would 
be the worse for my people and would only give 
an excuse for ill-treatment. I could see too much 
unpleasantness ahead for them as it was, if these 
two gentlemen were fairly representative of the 
class to whom the future administration of the 
country was to be entrusted, if I acted with 
precipitation and gave way to my natural feelings 
against the mean trick that had been played on 
me. I was told that I should be allowed to retain 
my cook and personal servants, and that no 
restraint would be put upon my movements, pro- 
vided that I would give my word of honour not 
to attempt to clear out. As my real offence 
was that I had brought into a state of order a 
country which, previous to my coming, had such 
a reputation that no official would set foot across 
the border if he could help it, I had no cause 
to fear the results of an investigation into my 
conduct, and I made up my mind to await 



284 JOHN BOYES 

calmly the termination of this comedy. Besides, 
I thought that my personal influence might very 
likely be needed to prevent some " regrettable 
occurrence." Both the officials were in such 
a state of unreasoning fear of the natives that it 
was more than likely that they would be guilty 
of some piece of foolishness which might set 
the whole country in a blaze. So I retired to my 
tent and amused myself for a great part of the 
day with a gramophone which I had brought 
with me. Of course, my men could not under- 
stand what had happened, and, fortunately, none 
of them knew that I was under arrest. 

In the meantime my men were being ques- 
tioned as to what had happened in the Kikuyu 
country during the time that I had been there, 
and the following day an askari came to my tent 
and presented me with a lengthy document, 
written on blue paper, which proved to be a 
summons to appear that day before the officers 
in charge of the fort. The summons read some- 
thing after the following style : "I, Francis 
George Hall, charge you, John Boyes, that during 
your residence in the Kenia district you waged 
war, set shauris, personated Government, went 
on six punitive expeditions, and committed 
dacoity." I must confess that I read over this 
formidable list of charges with some amusement, 
though I was well aware that any one of them, 
if proved, meant capital punishment. There was 



CHARGED WITH DACOITY 285 

one item on the list that I could not make out, 
and I took the first opportunity of inquiring the 
meaning of the word '* dacoity," which was a 
term I had never heard used in the country 
before. I remembered reading a book called 
" The Last of the Dacoits," and it struck me 
that either the title of the book was wrong, or 
that the official, in his anxiety to fulfil his instruc- 
tions to pile up as heavy a list of crimes against 
me as possible, had allowed his imagination to 
run away with him. It was explained to me 
that " Dacoit " was an Indian term, meaning 
a native outlaw. 

At the time appointed I presented myself at 
the " court-house," which was a primitively- 
constructed mud-hut, furnished with two chairs 
and a table, and as the two former were occupied 
by Mr. Hall and Captain Longfield, there was 
nothing left for me but to make myself as com- 
fortable as possible on the corner of the table, 
which I did, much to the scandal of those two 
important officials. The charge having been read 
over to me, I was cautioned in the same 
manner that an English bobby cautions a 
prisoner, that anything I might say, &c., and 
then I was asked what I had to say. I told 
them that I certainly had nothing to say to them 
one way or the other, and would reserve my 
defence, and the proceedings — which were of a 
purely formal character — were then over and I 
returned to my tent. 



286 JOHN BOYES 

The next four days were spent in collecting 
evidence against me, and as nobody could be 
persuaded to go to my headquarters to collect 
evidence against me on the spot, Captain Long- 
field himself finally went, taking with him the 
whole of his troops, while during his absence 
Mr. Hall gathered all the information he 
could from the chiefs and other natives at 
Mberri. 

When they had, as they thought, satisfactorily 
arranged for sufficient evidence to secure my 
conviction, the Kikuyu who had come in with 
me had their arms restored to them, and I and 
my personal bodyguard, together with about two 
hundred native witnesses, were sent down to 
Nairobi under charge of an escort of about ten 
native soldiers, commanded by a black sergeant ! 
The situation was ludicrously Gilbertian. Here 
was I, a (so-called) dangerous outlaw, being 
sent down to be tried for my life on a series of 
awful indictments, through a country in which 
I had only to lift a finger to call an army of 
savage warriors to my assistance. I was accom- 
panied by a personal following twenty times as 
numerous as the guard of ten natives who kept 
me prisoner, and who trembled every time they 
passed a native village lest the inhabitants should 
rush out and wipe them out of existence ; while 
on the first day out the humour of the situation 
was considerably increased by the sergeant in 



AT NAIROBI 287 

charge of the escort handing me the large blue 
envelope containing the statement of the evidence 
against me, with a request that I would take 
charge of it for him, as he was afraid he might 
lose it ! I must say that I thoroughly appreciated 
the humour of the whole affair. I was the only 
mounted man in the whole outfit, still having my 
mule, and it struck me as distinctly amusing 
that I should be practically taking myself down 
to Nairobi, to be tried for my life, with the 
whole of the evidence under my arm ! 

During the journey, which, though only sixty 
miles in a straight line, took us five days, as 
we had to pick a path — there being then no 
road — and to avoid several swamps, some of the 
soldiers tried to make my men carry their loads ; 
but I thought that this was going a little too 
far, and would not allow anything of the sort. 
We saw plenty of game along the road, and also 
some lions, but as I was, of course, without 
my rifle, I could not do any shooting. 

When we arrived at Nairobi I presented myself 
at the Government headquarters, which were then 
in a little tin shanty, now used by some Indian 
coolies as a wash-house, while the remainder 
of the party sat down outside whilst I went in to 
see the official. The Goanese clerk who inquired 
my business told me that the Sub -Commissioner 
was very busy just then and I could not see 
him. It was quite remarkable how very busy 



288 JOHN BOYES 

these officials always were when any one, not of 
the official or missionary class, wanted to see 
them. I had always experienced the same diffi- 
culty in getting an interview, and no doubt the 
clerk thought that I had come to make one of 
my usual complaints. On this occasion I did 
not happen to be in a hurry, so telling the clerk 
that I would call back in about an hour's time, 
I went for a stroll round the town, and took the 
opportunity of having a look at Nairobi. On 
my return I was received by the Sub -Commis- 
sioner, who asked me what I wanted, so I handed 
him the packet containing the statement of 
evidence, and when he had looked through it 
he said that he would make arrangements at once 
to have me sent down to Mombasa. 

Things were done in a different way here, 
and I quickly realized the change when I got 
outside the office and found myself surrounded 
by a guard of six Indian soldiers with fixed 
bayonets. 

That same day I was taken by the afternoon 
train to Mombasa, under charge of the escort 
of Indian soldiers, with a white officer in 
command, and on arriving there I was handed 
over to another white official. After some 
considerable delay, the papers apparently not 
being in order in some respect, I was duly 
admitted to the Mombasa jail, which was the 
old Portuguese fort — a massive building, whose 



IN MOMBASA JAIL 289 

frowning walls rise sheer above the cliff 
commanding the entrance to Mombasa. Many 
a time, in days gone by, has the tide of battle 
rolled around these grim walls, the many 
sanguinary conflicts in which it has figured 
having earned for Mombasa the title of the 
** Isle of War." Looked at from the outside, 
the fort is a gloomy-looking place, with its huge 
entrance gates guarded by sentries ; but its extent 
is best judged from the inside, and I found that 
there was plenty of room within its massive 
walls ; while the apartment allotted to my use 
proved to be much more comfortable than I had 
expected — being, in fact, quite on a par with, 
if it did not surpass, the accommodation which 
the only hotel in Mombasa at that time could 
provide. I found that I was perfectly free to 
roam about the fort at will, though, of course, 
I was not allowed to pass outside the gates. 

I had been incarcerated in the fort for some 
weeks before any of my friends got to know 
of my arrest, and then one of them, Mr. Claude 
Smith, also a trader and hunter, like myself, 
hearing of my position, came down to Mombasa 
to see me. After having paid me a visit, he 
got the only lawyer in the country, who was a 
Parsee, to conduct my defence ; while a few days 
later these two managed to secure my release, on 
a bail of 10,000 rupees, and I left the fort and 
went up to Nairobi. 



290 JOHN BOYES 

The bare statement that Claude Smith came 
down to Mombasa to see me, and secured my, 
release on 10,000 rupees bail, will probably not 
convey the idea to the general reader that he did 
anything calling for special notice. But, when 
the facts of the case are taken into consideration, 
it will be seen that the comradeship which existed 
among us early pioneers in that wild, official - 
ridden territory, was of a kind which does not 
usually flourish among the stay-at-home, arm- 
chair critics who, from the comfort of the club 
fireside or the smug atmosphere of the Exeter 
Hall platform, condemn the traders and settlers 
as irredeemable blackguards or, as one com- 
placent official described them to a gathering 
of uneducated natives, as washenzi UliyUj 
the translation of which is " the savages of 
Europe." In the first place, although I had no 
claim on him whatever, he came down some four 
hundred miles from Naivasha, where he was 
hunting, leaving his expedition for the purpose, 
and found the 10,000 rupees bail — which had 
to be actually deposited — from his own pocket, 
and remained with me until the case was 
dismissed — thus sacrificing many weeks of 
valuable time in my interests. Further than all 
this, he incurred the bitter enmity of the official 
who had instigated the whole business against 
me, and who never rested until he had fabricated 
a similar charge against my friend, needless to 



MY TRIAL 291 

say with the result of triumphal acquittal for 
both of us. 

When my trial came on, I found that all the 
charges against me, except the one of dacoity, 
had been withdrawn ; which fact only served to 
confirm the information I had received — were any 
confirmation needed — as to the origin of, and 
reason for, the whole conspiracy against me. 
The trial was by judge and jury, and after 
hearing the evidence against me the court 
acquitted me, and I left the court-house, as the 
judge said, without a stain on my character — the 
judge even going so far as to say that he did 
not understand why the case had been brought 
at all, and, finally, apologising to me for the 
waste of my valuable time ! 

As to why the case had been brought I could 
have given the judge a good deal of information 
which would have enlightened him considerably, 
but as I had come so triumphantly out of the 
matter, I did not see that I had anything to gain 
by stirring up the mud. At that time there 
were not more than a dozen independent white 
men in the country ; all the rest were Government 
officials, missionaries, or men engaged in the 
construction of the Uganda Railway, and, for 
some reason or other, the governing class were 
always bitterly hostile to the commercial and 
hunting element, and took every occasion of 
impressing upon us that we were not wanted in 



292 JOHN BOYES 

the country. Further than this, the class of men 
holding the Government appointments at that 
time were by no means representative of the 
best elements even of officialdom ; being, in many 
cases, unsuccessful traders with a little backstairs 
influence, or the least useful class of Army officer, 
with absolutely no experience of the people or 
the country and no administrative training. ^ This 
state of affairs is by no means peculiar to British 
East Africa, but has been experienced in most 
of our other African Crown Colonies, and, indeed, 
prevailed in many of them up to quite recently, 
and may do so yet for all I know. Fortunately, 
so far as British East Africa is concerned, there 
are now good prospects of the carrying out of 
a saner and more intelligent policy under the 
guidance of the new Governor, Sir Percy 
Girouard. If the colony is ever to become 
anything more than a happy hunting ground for 
official inefficients, every assistance must be given 
to those who are willing to invest their money 
in the country, and petty officialism must be put 
in its proper place in the machinery of govern- 
ment. 

In my case there were many mixed motives 
underlying the conspiracy to get me ousted from 
the Kikuyu country, and if possible from the 

I It must be remembered that the administration of the 
country was just starting. The Government had to put up 
with what officials they could get. 



THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST ME 293 

dependency, but it is perhaps better that I 
should be silent about all this. One reason, 
perhaps, for desiring my removal was the 
apprehension that existed out there that the 
authorities at home might think that after all 
the man who single-handed had reduced to peace 
and order a country into which no white man 
had ever successfully entered before, might not 
be a bad one to entrust with its future ad- 
ministration in the interests of the Empire. Of 
course, such an intrusion into the sacred official 
class by a common trader, who actually 
understood the natives — as far as a white man 
may — and was able to exercise a kindly influence 
over them, was to be prevented at all hazards, 
even at the cost of the said trader's life if 
need be. 

For my part, although no man likes to give 
up practically supreme power, even among 
savages, I had always recognized that the day 
must come — and had been at some trouble to 
prepare the natives for it — when the administra- 
tion of the country would be duly taken over by 
the official bureaucracy, and my only aim was to 
assist the officials as far as possible when that 
day came, so that the change might be brought 
about with as little disturbance to the existing 
state of order as possible. Unfortunately, the 
petty spite and official arrogance and inefficiency 
of certain individuals defeated my object, and 



294 JOHN BOYES 

within a comparatively short period 1 was 
grieved to find that my old friend and blood 
brother, Wagombi, irritated at the tactless way 
in which he was treated by the new officials, 
was carrying fire and sword through the whole 
country, and raiding almost up to the walls 
of the boma where the new Administrator lay 
trembling and afraid to venture a quarter of a 
mile outside his own camp. 

However, as I have already said, all those who 
have the true interests of British East Africa at 
heart are hoping for a better state of things 
under the experienced and enlightened adminis- 
tration of Sir Percy Girouard. 

After the fiasco of my trial, I returned to 
Karuri's, and continued my food-buying, taking 
the supplies into Naivasha as before. I still 
experienced the same trouble with the Kalyera 
natives on the way down with the food for the 
Government stations, and finally the matter was 
reported to the Governor, Sir Charles Eliot, 
•who resided at Zanzibar, which was then the 
headquarters of the Government. As a result 
of these representations, an expedition was sent 
out under Captain Wake, of the East African 
Rifles, with Mr. McLellan as civil officer, and I 
was asked to accompany them as guide and 
intelligence officer. I was only too pleased to 
have this opportunity of proving to the 
Government my readiness to help, and I willingly 
agreed to go with the expedition. 



CHAPTER XI 

Origin of the Kikuyu — The family — Circumcision — 
Marriage — Land tenure — Missionaries 

IT may be of interest to the general reader 
if I give, in a single chapter, a brief account 
of the manners and customs of the Kikuyu 
people, and some description of the country in 
which they live. It must be borne in mind that 
the information contained in this section is not the 
result of direct questioning of the people, as it 
is well known to all who have any real know- 
ledge of the African native that to ask directly 
for information of this sort from him simply 
results in the acquisition of a large amount of 
information which, however interesting it may 
be to read, contains the smallest possible pro- 
portion of actual truth. Therefore, the account 
of the Kikuyu and their country given in the 
following pages is the result of my own personal 
knowledge and observation during the period 
of my residence among them. It may not be as 
picturesque as some other published accounts, 
but I am prepared to vouch for its accuracy. 
Owing to the fact that no accurate map of this 

295 



296 JOHN BOYES 

part of Africa has yet been prepared, it is a 
matter of some difficulty to give exactly the 
boundaries and dimensions of the Kikuyu 
country ; but, roughly speaking, it is bounded on 
the north by a line which almost coincides with 
the Equator ; on the west by the Aberdare 
Range, a range of bamboo -covered hills, unin- 
habited by any tribe ; on the south by a kind of 
debatable land, forming part of the Athi Plain, 
extending from Nairobi to Fort Hall, to the south 
of which lies the Wakamba country ; on the east, 
for a considerable distance by the Tana River, 
beyond which it only extends for a short distance 
towards the north-east. These boundaries may 
have been somewhat modified since the opening 
up of the country by the Government of British 
East Africa, but in the main they are still correct. 
The area of this district would be about four 
thousand square miles. 

As I never attempted to take any sort oi 
census during my '* reign," I can only give 
approximately the population, but I should say, 
as far as I was able to ascertain, that the total 
number of the tribe would be about half a 
million — rather more than less — of whom the 
women outnumbered the men considerably, the 
constant warfare tending to keep the number of 
the male population at a fairly steady figure. 

The accounts given of the origin of the 
Kikuyu tribe vary considerably, and the nigger's 



ORIGIN OF THE KIKUYU 297 

talent for fiction, and his readiness to oblige any 
one — particularly a white man — who asks for a 
legend, make it extremely difficult to distinguish 
where truth ends and fiction begins ; but I will 
give the two principal accounts as they were given 
to me, and my own opinion of the credibility of 
both, and let the reader judge for himself. 

The first story is that given me by Karuri, the 
chief who was' my first friend among these 
interesting people, who was certainly one of 
the most intelligent natives I have ever come 
in contact with. His account was that the V 

original inhabitants of the country, a tribe called 
the Asi, were hunters who took no interest in 
agriculture, and that the Kikuyu were a tribe 
who came into the country, and purchased tracts 
of land from the Asi for purposes' of cultivation. 
Gradually more and more of the Kikuyu came 
in until they had cleared most of the forest land 
of which the country originally consisted, while 
the Asi were gradually absorbed into the Kikuyu 
tribe by marriage, or wandered farther afield in 
search of the game which the increasing popula- 
tion and the clearing of the forests had driven 
away to new retreats. Karuri himself based his 
strongest claim to his chieftaincy on the fact that 
he was a direct descendant of these Asi. 

The other account, which was given me by a 
headman named Kasu, now a powerful chief 
under the new regime, reminds one somewhat 



298 JOHN BOYES 

of the story of Ishmael. The legend runs that 
a Masai warrior, living on the borders of what 
is now the Kikuyu country, but was then a vast 
forest, inhabited by a race of dwarfs, of whom 
the Kikuyu speak as the Maswatch-wanya, was 
in the habit of ill-treating one of his wives to 
such an extent that she used from time to time 
to take refuge among the dwarfs, returning to 
her husband's kraal after each flight. Finally 
his treatment became so bad that she fled to the 
dwarfs and remained there, giving birth to a son 
shortly after her definite settlement among them. 
Later on, the story runs, she had children to 
her own son, which children intermarried with 
the Mas watch -wanya, and from their offspring 
the present Kikuyu race derive their descent. 

Of the two accounts, my observation would 
lead me to look for the truth rather in the 
direction of the latter than the former. In the 
first place, as I think I have before pointed out, 
a strong physical resemblance exists between the 
Kikuyu and the Masai ; the former, indeed, might 
almost be taken for a shorter, more stockily built 
branch of the latter race, while I could easily 
pick out a hundred Kikuyu who, mixed with an 
equal number of Masai, could not be told from 
the latter, even by an expert. Again, the weapons 
and war-dress of the two races are identical — a 
fact which to any one who is aware of the 
unique character of the Masai weapons is a strong 



CUSTOMS 299 

point in itself. Further, when actually on the 
war-path — and only then — the Kikuyu are in the 
habit of singing a Masai war-song, in the Masai 
tongue, referring to a former noted warrior chief 
of the Masai named Bartion. Again, their 
manner of circumcising the young men is exactly 
the same as that practised by the Masai, which 
differs from the custom of any other race, as I 
shall show later on. The name for God, Ngai, is 
the same in both peoples, and they both have a 
similar custom of retiring to a so-called " sacred 
grove " in the bush, where they slaughter a sheep, 
which is afterwards roasted and eaten in honour 
of their god. 

These points, to my mind, all go to show a 
connexion between the Kikuyu and the Masai, 
rather than, as some inquirers argue, between 
the Kikuyu and the Wakamba. Of course, in 
the districts bordering on the Wakamba country, 
where it has been customary for the two tribes 
to seize one another's women in their frequent 
raids, many of the Kikuyu show traces of 
Wakamba blood, while on the Masai border the 
traces of Masai influence are stronger than in 
the districts more remote ; but I am not arguing 
on the basis of the border districts, but from 
the race as a whole. Again, the Wakamba, 
though not now known to be cannibals, still 
follow^ the practice prevalent among cannibal 
tribes of filing the teeth to a sharp point— a 



300 JOHN BOYES 

practice unknown both to the Masai and the 
Kikuyu. The Wakamba also are eaters of raw 
meat, while the Masai, though blood-drinkers, 
always cook their meat, and the Kikuyu are prac- 
tically vegetarians. In the manner of dressing 
the hair, too, the Kikuyu follow the Masai fashion 
of plaiting strands of bark fibre into the hair, 
which is then done up in a sort of pigtail, while 
the Wakamba wear the covering provided by 
Nature without any fancy additions. 

Another custom common to both the Masai 
and Kikuyu, though not practised by the 
Wakamba, is that of wearing the most extra- 
ordinary ear ornaments, which, as mentioned 
earlier in the book, are sometimes as large as a 
condensed milk tin, and are worn passed through 
holes specially made in the lobe of the ear. The 
practice is to pierce the lobe of the boys' ears 
some time in early childhood, and from that time 
onwards the aperture then made is gradually 
enlarged by the wearing of a succession of 
wooden plugs or discs of graduated sizes, until 
an object as large as a large -sized condensed 
milk tin can be easily passed through it. This 
operation extends over some years, and the 
natural result is to convert the ring of flesh into 
what looks like— and as far as feeling is con- 
cerned, might as well be— a leather loop, which 
sometimes hangs down far enough to touch the 
shoulder. It is the great ambition of every 




WAKA.MBA WOMEN 



EAR ORNAMENTS 301 

Kikuyu youth to be able to wear a bigger ear 
ornament than his neighbour, and, in order to 
attain the desired end, I have known them to 
pass a straight stick of wood through the hole 
in the lobe of one ear, across the back of the 
neck, through the lobe of the other, thus keeping 
them both constantly stretched. 

The country itself is very rough, and it is 
often a matter of difficulty to find a level piece 
sufficiently large to pitch one's camp on. It 
is situated at an elevation of some six thousand 
feet above sea-level, and consists of a series 
of ranges of low hills, divided by deep valleys, 
through most of which flows a stream of greater 
or less magnitude, none of which ever seem to 
become quite dried up, even in the driest of dry 
seasons. On account of the comparatively 
temperate climate, due to the elevation, and of 
the extreme fertility of the soil, the country is 
an ideal spot for the native agriculturist, who 
gets his two crops a year with a minimum of 
labour. Consequently the country is very 
thickly populated ; in fact, I do not know any 
part where, on raising the tribal war-cry, I could 
not, in an extremely short space of time, gather 
at least a couple of thousand fighting men. The 
principal crops are the sweet potato, kigwa (a 
kind of yam of very large dimensions), and ndoma 
(a vegetable something after the fashion of a 
turnip, with leaves from three to four feet long 



302 JOHN BOYES 

and about eighteen inches wide at their widest 
part). Bananas are the only fruit that I ever 
came across, but they grow large quantities of 
sugar-cane, beans of various kinds (from my 
fondness for which in preference to sweet 
potatoes I got my native name of Karanjai, or 
'* The eater of beans "), and another vegetable, 
which seemed to be a cross between a bean and 
a pea and which grew on a bush ; of grains 
they have several, of which the principal are 
maize, matama, which is the same as the Indian 
dhurra and is found all over Africa, umkanorl, 
which resembles canary-seed in appearance, and 
mawhali, a somewhat similar seed to the umka- 
nori, from which the fermented gruel known as 
ujuru is made. The Kikuyu seem to be possessed 
of a perfect mania for cultivation, their practice 
being to work a plot of ground until it begins 
to show signs of exhaustion, when it is allowed 
to lie fallow or used only for grazing stock for 
a period of seven years, new ground being 
broken to take its place in the meanwhile. All 
the Kikuyu keep stock of some kind, either sheep, 
cattle, or goats— sometimes all three— which are 
principally used as currency for the purpose of 
paying fines and buying wives, the quantity of 
meat eaten being very small. 

The system of government is somewhat 
peculiar, but appeared to be a form of the 
feudal system, based on the family. A village 



FAMILY LIFE 303 

generally consists of members of one family, the 
headman being the father, who had originally 
settled in that particular spot with his wives. 
Each wife has her own hut, her own shamha, 
or allotment for cultivation, and her own store- 
house, in which the proceeds of her labour are 
kept. Each woman lives in her own hut, with 
her family round her, until the boys are old 
enough to marry, when they set up their own 
hut, or huts, according to the number of wives in 
which they are wealthy enough to indulge. The 
headman or patriarch of the family, in my time, 
ruled the village, and, within bounds, had the right 
of punishing any breach of discipline— even to 
the extent of killing a disobedient son and burn- 
ing his huts. The women are well treated, and, 
as they perform all the work of the family, with 
the exception of clearing new ground for cultiva- 
tion, prefer to marry a man with two or three 
other wives rather than a bachelor, as the work 
of keeping their lord and master in comfort is 
thus rendered lighter. 

Marriage is, as in most savage tribes, by 
purchase, the usual purchase price of a woman 
being thirty sheep. There is no marriage cere- 
mony in vogue among them, but after the 
handing over of the girl by her father in exchange 
for the sheep a feast is usually held to celebrate 
the event. Occasionally the husband is allowed 
to make the payments on the instalment plan, 



304 JOHN BOYES 

but this is not encouraged, as it is apt to lead 
to quarrelling and disagreements. The youth- 
ful marriages common among such tribes do not 
prevail among the Kikuyu, as no man is allowed 
to marry until he has been circumcised, which 
operation usually takes place about the age of 
seventeen or eighteen, and he does not generally 
take a wife until two or three years later ; while 
the usual age for marriage among the women 
is eighteen, though the operation which corre- 
sponds to circumcision in their case is performed 
as soon as they reach the age of puberty. 

This practice of circumcision of the males at 
such a late age appears to prevail only among 
the Masai and Kikuyu, all other African races, 
so far as I can learn, following the Jewish 
custom and performing the operation during 
infancy. The method of performing the opera- 
tion in vogue with these two tribes also differs 
from that in use elsewhere, so that a description 
of it may be of interest. On the day fixed for 
the ceremony the boys all turn out some time 
before daylight and are taken down to the river, 
where they have to stand for half an hour up 
to the waist in the ice-cold water until they 
are absolutely numb with the cold. They are 
then taken out and led to the operator, who nearly 
severs the foreskin with two cuts of his knife, 
then, folding the severed portion back, secures 
it on the under side with a thorn driven through 



CIRCUMCISION 305 

the flesh. The boy then returns to his village 
and rests for a few days until the wound is 
healed. No boy is supposed to utter a sound 
during the operation, and it is probable that the 
numbing effect of the icy bath prevents their 
feeling any or very much pain. In the case 
of the girls also the bath in the cold river is a 
preliminary to the operation, and neither boys 
nor girls ever seem to suffer any serious con- 
sequences from this rough-and-ready operation. 
In the case of the girls the operation, which 
consists of the excision of the clitoris, is per- 
formed by an old woman, whose special duty 
it is to perform the operation with one of the 
razors used for shaving the head. 

The various sections of the tribe are ruled by 
chiefs, of whom the principal during my stay 
in the country were Wagombi, Karkerrie, and 
Karuri, but in addition to these there were in- 
numerable petty chieftains, many of whom 
owed no allegiance to any higher authority in 
the country. Kingship, or chief ship, seemed to 
be decided mainly on the principle that might 
is right, though it was of great advantage for 
a candidate for the headship of any section of 
the tribe to have a reputation for magic— or 
medicine, as they call it. Wealth and intelli- 
gence also counted for something, and a chief 
who had proved himself a brave warrior and 
good administrator would generally be allowed 



306 JOHN BOYES 

to retain his headship of a district so long as he 
lived, though it did not follow that his son would 
succeed to his honours unless he were capable 
of taking hold of the reins of government with 
a firm hand. In spite of the apparent uncertainty 
of succession, there is seldom any trouble with 
regard to it, as it is generally pretty well known 
some time before a vacancy takes place who 
the next chief will be, although I never found 
that there was any sort of election to the office. 

The chief, once accepted, is autocratic in the 
ordinary details of government, trying all cases 
himself and pronouncing sentence, from which 
there is no appeal ; but in matters of moment 
affecting the general welfare of the people he 
is aided in coming to a decision by the counsels 
of the assembled elders of his district, a body 
something after the fashion of the old Saxon 
Witan. 

For ordinary infractions of the law, or offences 
against his authority as chief, he pronounced such 
punishment as his discretion and judgment 
dictated ; but for cases of wounding or murder a 
regular scale of fines was laid down — fining being 
the usual punishment, except in cases of open 
rebellion. Open rebellion generally entailed a 
descent on the offenders by the chief's warriors, 
and the wiping out of the rebellious villages and 
their inhabitants. For an ordinary case of 
wounding the fine was ten sheep, while for the 



TENURE OF LAND 307 

murder of a woman it was thirty sheep — the price 
which her husband would have had to pay for 
her on marriage— and for a man a hundred 
sheep. The tenure of land is very simple, the 
freehold being vested in the man who takes the 
trouble to make the clearing, and as there is 
plenty ;of space for all, and the wants of the 
people are few, anything in the shape of agrarian 
agitation is unknown ; in fact, during the whole 
of my stay in the country I never knew any 
instance of a dispute over land. 

It must be borne in mind that many 
great changes have taken place in the 
Kikuyu country, and in British East Africa 
generally, since the period, some ten years 
since, covered by this book. In the days 
when I started on my first contract for the 
conveyance of food to the troops engaged in the 
suppression of the Soudanese mutiny, the spot 
on which Nairobi, the present capital of the 
colony, stands was simply a patch of swampy 
ground on the edge of the plain which extends 
to the borders of the hilly Kikuyu country. Here 
the railway construction people pitched one of 
their settlements and put up a station, and from 
this has risen the town of some fifteen thousand 
inhabitants, of whom fully one thousand are 
white, a larger proportion than can be found in 
any settlement of the same age on the continent 
of Africa, while I may add that everything 



308 



JOHN BOYES 



points to an increased rather than a diminished 
rate of progression ! 

Nairobi is no bush settlement, where one 
expects to ** rough it " as part of the ordinary 
daily routine. On leaving the train one can 
engage a cab, or even a motor, to drive one to 
a good hotel ; if you know any one in the town, 
you can be put up for an excellent club ; while 
one's commercial requirements are met by a fme 
post-office, banks of good standing, and stores 
where one may obtain anything that the most 
fastidious European or savage tastes can require . 

Undoubtedly the colony of British East Africa 
has everything in its favour and, given ordinary 
luck, has a great future before it. The climate 
is everything that the European settler could 
desire. Being about six thousand feet above 
sea -level, the country is not subjected to the 
extremes of heat and wet which prevail in other 
parts of the continent, but has merely a good 
average rainfall, while the temperature seldom 
exceeds 75° in the shade, even in the hottest 
weather. The soil, particularly in the Kikuyu 
district, is extremely fertile, and will grow almost 
any European vegetable, and most European 
fruits, in addition to wheat, coifee, cocoa, tea, 
sugar, and tobacco, as well as cotton, rubber, sisal 
hemp, sansovera fibre, and, of course, on the 
coast, the ubiquitous cocoanut. On the whole, 
British East Africa presents as good an oppor- 



LAND VALUES 309 

tunity to the man of limited capital, with a 
capacity for work, as any spot to be found in 
the length and breadth of the British Empire. 
In addition to agriculture, such industries as 
cattle-farming, sheep-farming, pig-breeding, and 
ostrich -farming are already being carried on with 
great success. Under the wise administration of 
the present Governor, Sir Percy Girouard, the 
prospects of the country are improving by leaps 
and bounds. This is principally due to two 
important factors : the encouragement given by 
the Governor to capitalists willing to invest 
money in the colony ; and his full and frank 
recognition, for the first time in the history of 
the colony, that the future of this valuable 
dependency lies in the hands of the settlers, 
rather than in those of the official caste. 

The value of land is rapidly increasing, 
and estates which, ten years ago, could have 
been bought for 2s. 8d. an acre are now fetching 
2 OS. an acre, though grants may still be obtained 
from the Government land office. 

In the Kikuyu country itself vast changes 
have, of course, taken place in the ten years 
which have elapsed since I was supreme there. 
Four or five Government stations have been 
established, roads have been opened up in various 
directions, while many white settlers have come 
in, and are doing well, in addition to the swarm 
of missionaries of various sects who have settled 



310 JOHN BOYES 

all over the country ; in fact, I gave my own 
house to one of the first, I think I may say the 
first — a Roman Catholic priest — who came into 
the country. The people themselves have settled 
down quietly under the new conditions, and pay 
the hut-tax regularly, which is a by no means 
inconsiderable item in the annual revenue of the 
colony. The Kikuyu are excellent workers, and 
are now to be met with in every part of the 
dependency, and in almost every trade, while 
the chiefs have taken to building stone houses 
in place of their native huts, and riding mules. 
In my opinion the Kikuyu will ultimately become 
the most important among the native races of 
this part of the continent, owing to their greater 
intelligence, industry, and adaptability. 

Of course, at the present day, my name is 
little more than a legend among the Kikuyu, 
around which many wonderful stories have been 
built up by the people. In the nine years which 
have elapsed since I left the country many of 
the older men who knew me have died, while the 
rising generation, who, as children, only knew of 
me as the most powerful influence in the province, 
have only vague memories of actual happenings, 
which they have gradually embroidered until I 
should have great difificulty in recognizing some 
of the occurrences myself in their present form. 

A book of this sort will probably be looked 
upon as incomplete without some expression of 



MISSIONARIES 311 

opinion as to the value of missions and the mis- 
sionary influence.'^ It must not be inferred from 
the various remarks scattered through the book 
that I am one of that fairly numerous body who, 
with considerable experience to back their 
opinion, profess to regard the missionary as the 
worst curse that can fall on a newly-opened 
country, but I do say that the whole system on 
which these missions are conducted requires to be 
thoroughly revised. The primary mistake, from 
which most of the trouble springs, is the assump- 
tion, to which all missionaries seem to be officially 
compelled to subscribe, that the African negro 
is, or can be made by education, the moral and 
intellectual equal of the white man, and that by 
teaching him to read and write and say the Lord's 
Prayer by rote the inherent characteristics result- 
ing from centuries of savagery can be utterly 
nullified in the course of a year or two. The 
deliberate and considered opinion of those best 
qualified to know, the men who have to live 
among these people, not for a year or two, but 
for a lifetime, brought into constant and more 
really intimate contact with them than the great 
majority of missionaries, is, that education in the 
narrow meaning of the term is a very doubtful 
blessing to the average negro compared with the 
enormous benefits to be conferred by a sound 
course of industrial training.! As an instance in 
point, let us take the case of Uganda, where the 



312 JOHN BOYES 

missionary has had a free hand, such as he has 
probably had in no other part of the world, for 
the last twenty years. Yet, after all this time, 
there is hardly a single Uganda artisan to be 
found — and those of poor quality — in Uganda 
itself ; British East Africa has to look to the 
native of India to find the skilled artisans required 
for the service of the community. And it must 
be borne in mind that the Waganda are un- 
doubtedly the most intelligent of all the native 
races of East Africa, so that the settler may 
fairly consider himself justified when he charges 
the missionaries with neglecting, practically 
entirely, one of the greatest aids to the civiliza- 
tion of the native that he could possibly use. 
The native, properly trained to handicrafts, and 
able to understand the advantage of skill in his 
particular line, would be much more likely, as 
his means increased, to see the advantages pi 
civilization, and to appreciate the benefits of that 
education which, as often as not, now lands him 
in jail ; while the civilized negro, become a really 
useful member of the community, would also be 
much more likely to prove a satisfactory convert 
to Christianity than the material at present 
paraded as such, of whom the average white 
man with experience of Africa will tell you that 
he would not have a " mission native " as a 
servant at any price. 

Let the missionaries turn their minds arJ 



MISSIONARIES 313 

funds to the industrial, as well as the moral and 
religious, instruction of the natives, and they will 
find every settler in the land prepared to support 
their efforts, while the Empire will, undoubtedly, 
benefit enormously in every way. 

Finally, one of the greatest difficulties which 
hampers the development of our African colonies, 
and renders the task of the administrator who 
really does know something of the work he has 
taken in hand a heart-breaking one, is the utter 
inability of the good people at home to realize 
the absolutely irrefutable truth contained in 
Kipling's statement that " East is East, and West 
is West, and never the twain shall meet." The 
average missionary and new-comer to Africa 
generally arrives with his mind stored with the 
statements contained in the reports of missionary 
societies or the books of well-to-do globe-trotters, 
and is firmly convinced that he knows all there is 
to be known about the country and its people. 
When he has been a year or two in the country 
he will, if he has any remnants of common sense 
left, begin to realize that it is about time he began 
to try to learn something of the people among 
whom his lot is cast ; while at the end of ten, 
fifteen, or more years he will frankly confess 
the utter impossibility of the white man ever 
being able to, as an able African administrator 
once put it, *' get inside the negro's skin," and 
really know him thoroughly. I question if there 



314 JOHN BOYES 

have ever, in the history of the world, been twenty 
pure-bred whites altogether who have really 
known the native of Africa, and if you hear a 
man boasting that he " knows the nigger 
thoroughly," you may safely put him down as 
a man of very limited experience of the negroid 
races. 

The ultimate solution of the negro problem 
lies, not in the '* poor coloured brother " 
direction, but in training him in handicrafts, and 
thus making him a useful, productive member 
of the community ; and as soon as this fact is 
recognized, and carried to its logical result, so 
soon will the " colour problem " — which at 
present weighs heavily on the mind of every 
thinking white man who really realizes what it 
means— cease to be the ever-present bogey of 
our African Administration. 

And here for the moment I will end my story. 
It was my intention, when I first started to write 
this account of my experiences among the 
Kikuyu, to have extended the period of this book 
to the times of my more recent adventures on 
the African continent. I found, however, that 
space would not allow me to include all I wished 
to put down in writing in one small volume. 
I have, I think, much more to relate which might 
be of interest to the general reader. I have spent 
the last ten years of my life either exploring in 
the wilds of the Dark Continent or have been 



SIR CHARLES ELIOT 315 

occupied as a professional hunter of big game, 
and should this book of mine find any favour with 
the public, I hope in a short time to recommence 
my labours as an author again. 

My next experience immediately after the 
facts related in this book was to take the 
Governor of British East Africa, Sir Charles 
Eliot, on a personally conducted tour to the 
scenes of my adventures and throughout the 
wilder parts of his domain. Later, many stirring 
adventures with lion and elephant have been my 
lot. My wanderings have led me across the 
desert from British East Africa into Abyssinia, 
into the Congo territory and elsewhere. I hope 
some of the adventures which befell me in these 
travels may, in the future, prove interesting to 
the public. 



INDEX 



ADCOCK, 21 

Africander Corps, 27 
Animal life, 272-8 
Ants, plague of, 130-1 
Asi, the, 297 
Askari, the, 40 
Athi plain, the, 47 

Baden-Powell, General Sir 
R. S. S., 30 

Bamboo forests, 78-9, 122, 272 

Banana-growing, 302 

Bartier, 134, 154-5, 217-21, 224 

Bartion, 299 

Bee-keeping, 161 

Bongo, the, 273 

Boyes, John, early days, 2 ; goes 
to sea, 3-4 ; first adventure, 4-5 ; 
escapade at Heligoland, 5-6 ; 
Hull to Liverpool, 6-7 ; Rotter- 
dam escapade, 8 ; sails as A.B,, 
9 ; illness at Laguna, 9-1 1 ; join- 
the R.N.R., 12; West Africa, 
12-15 ; disappointment regards 
ing certificate, 15 ; Africa, 15, 16 ; 
work on the railway, 18, 19; bound 
for Bulawayo, 21-6 ; joins Mata- 
beleland Mounted Police, 26-7 ; 
work with Africander Corps, 
27-30 ; first stores, 31 ; holiday 



at East London, 32 ; goes on 
the stage, 32 ; goes to sea again, 
32 ; bound for Mombasa, 33-6 ; 
transport caravans, 38-41, 44-5 ; 
adventures with lions, 44, 59, 60, 
69, 70, 274-5 ; loss of stores, 
55-7 ; end of the journey, 60 ; 
desertion of natives, 61-2 ; Rice 
transport, 71-4 ; into the Kikuyu 
country, 76-91 ; trading, 87-90, 
137, 142-7, 163-4, 198-9 ; settling 
of native quarrels, 93-5 ; cement- 
ing relationship, 97-9 ; teaching 
the natives self-protection, 106- 
8; precautions against attack, 
108-9 } ^ second house, 111-12 ; 
attacked by natives, 112-14; 
his standing with natives, 11 8-20, 
126-9 ; trouble with natives, 
137-42 ; his death prophesied, 
145 ; tricking the natives, 166-7 ; 
plot and attack, 167-74 > dis- 
appearance of cattle, 174-7; 
rain at last, 178 ; desire to 
establish peace, 179, 216 ; camp 
in Wagambi's countr}^, 185-6; 
into hostile country, 199-202 ; 
the Wanderobo country, 203-15 ; 
help for the Goanese, 217-24; 
fight against the Chinga, 224-32 ; 



316 



INDEX 



317 



its effects, 234-5 ; stores taken 
to Naivasha, 240 ; settling down, 
240-3 ; taking starving natives 
to Karuri's, 248-51 ; life in a 
native village, 253-4 > adven- 
tures with animals, 273-8 ; in- 
terviews Government officials, 
280-3 > summons of, 284-7 ; in 
Mombasa jail, 288-9 > O" bail, 
289-91 ; his trial and acquittal, 
291 ; officialdom, 291-4 ; a post 
under Government, 294 ; general 
survey, 295-315 

"British Mission to Uganda" 
quoted, 49-52 

Building a house, 90-1 



Cachukia, 238-9 

Caranja, 132 

Chinga, the, 152, 216-32, 234 

Circumcision, practice of, 304-5 

Clock, native wonder at, 166-7, 

173 

Colonial fruit and produce stores, 

Bulawayo, 31 
Cooking customs, 268-9 
Coptic Church, the, 263 
Cow, value of the, 163 

Dances of natives, 104-5, 264-5 
" Dead Donkey Camp," 74 
Dhow, the Arab, 33-6 
Dick, Mr., 56 
Drinking, see Njohi 
Drought, see Rain-famine 
Durban, 32 



East London, 32 
Eating customs, see Food 
Eleminteita, Lake, 58-9 



Elephants, natives killed by, 272 ; 

hunting of, 165-6 
Eliot, Sir Chas., 294, 315 
Elliott, G. F. Scott, quoted, 52-3 
Elstop, 30-1 
Engelfingin, 2 
Equator Camp, 60-1 

Famine, 247-50 
Findlay, 11 6- 17 
Fire-stick, the, 89, 90 
Flour, bartering of, 87-8, 114 
Food of the Kikuyu, 267-8 
Food stores, 142, 146, 240 
Fort Smith, 50 
Frielich, 31 

Gibbons, 39, 46, 53, 60-1, 66, 71, 

116-17, 144, 199 
Gilkinson, Mr., 252 
Girouard, Sir Percy, 292, 294, 308 
Goanese, the, 216-24, ^34 
Gorges, Captain, 77, 88 
Government, the Kikuyu system 

of, 302-3 
Grant, 23-5, 27 
" Great Rift Valley, The," 52 
Gregory, Professor, 52 
Guard-keeping, 106-7 
Guasa Nyero River, 189, 205, 213 

Hall, 278 

Hall, Mr. F. G., 281-2, 285-6 

Hand-shaking, native custom of, 

128 
Heligoland, 5 
Henga, 154-5 
Hicks Pasha, 66 
Honey-bird, the, 207-8 
Hospital arrangements at Laguna, 

9-1 1 
Hubner, 42 



318 



JOHN BOYES 



Industries of B. E. Africa, 308-9 
" Isle of War," see Mombasa 
Ivory, trading for, 144, 146, 163-6, 
178, 187, 198, 203, 212, 233 

JUGANOWA Makura, 133-5 

Kalyera, the, 122, 124-5, 132-5, 

136, 149-50, 248, 259, 294 
" Karanjai," 126, 127, 132-3 
Karkerrie, 144, 160-3, 166-7, ^7^~ 

3, 179, 191-4, 231, 235, 305 
Karuri, 81-2, 85-8, 92, 94-5, 145, 

i5o> 179. 229, 233, 235, 237-9, 

245-6, 255-6, 297, 305 
Kasu, 297 

Katuni, 161-2, 173, 178 
Kedong Valley, 54, 77-8, 88 
Kikuyu, the, 49-53, 74-5, 76-99» 

102, 127, &c., 152-5, 183, 259-60, 

264-71, 295-315 
Kikuyu tribe, origin of the, 92-3, 

296-300 ; chief ship of, 305-6 ; 

punishments of, 306-7 
Kilemongai, 262 
Kinangop plain, 75, 78-9, 276 
KipUng quoted, 313 
Kismayu, 173 
Knight of St. John, 7 
Kolb, Dr., 212-13 

Laguna, 9 

Laikipia plain, 183 

Lake Simcoe, 9, 11-12 

Leopard, adventure with a, 276-8, 

Lions, coolies, fear of, 42 ; audacity 

of, 42-3 ; adventures with, 42-4, 

48, 59, 69-70, 274-6 
Liverpool, 7 
Longanot, 262 
Longfield, Captain, 281-2, 285-6 



Mabrook Camp, 71 

McLellan, Mr., 294 

Mahigga, 219 

Majuba Hill, 18 

Maklutsi, 22-3 

Man-eating lions, 51, see Lions 

Market, native, 192-3 

Marriage customs, 265-6, 303-4 

Martin, 51-2, 60 

Masai, the, 49, 54-7, 65, 73, 93 ; 
attack on the Kikuyu, 1 12-14; 
their relation with the Kikuyu, 
298-300 
Maswatch-wanya, the, 92, 160 
Matabele, the, 26 ; first war, 28 
Matabeleland Mounted Police, 26-7 
Matama, 302 
Mawhali, 302 
Mberri, 279-83 
Measurements, native standard of, 

164-5 
Medicine, 159-60, see also undei 

Poisons 
Menzini, 78-9, 149 
Miles, Sergeant, 76 
Milk, superstitions about, 135-6 
Missionaries, 309-14 
Mombasa, 36-7, 288-9 
Monkey, the Colobus, 273 
Mount Kenia, 108, 143, 183-4, 

159-60, 242 
Mud-fish, 24-5 
Muga-wa-diga, 156-8, 161-2, 173, 

178, 191-5 
Mule, native astonishment of, 150 
Music of the Kikuyu, 102-5 



Nandi, the, 61 

Nairobi, 47-8, 148, 287, 307-8 
Naivasha, 74-5, 88, 114-5, 122, 125, 
240, 275 



INDEX 



319 



Naivasha, Lake, 58 

Nakurii, 60, 71 

"Naturalist in Mid-Africa, A," 

quoted, 52-3 
News, transmission, of 66-7 
Ngai, 92, 127, 133, 197, 260-3 
Ngoma, 197, 260 
Niekerk, Captain Van, 27 
Njohi, drinking of, 142-3, 161-2, 

193-4 
Njora River, 62 
Nyeri, 173 



O'Hara, 42 

Olomondo, 189-90, 193-6,203,206, 

213-15 
Ornaments of the Kikuyu, 270-1 



Paget, Colonel, 28 
Perenti, 42-3 

Pigasangi, 97-9, 178-9, 187, 191-8 
Poisons, native, 118-20 
Poisons of Karuri, 245-6 
Population of the Kakuyu, 296 
Portal, Sir Gerald, quoted, 49-52 
Prophesying by natives, 159-60 



Rain-famine, 247-8 

Rain-maker, chief, 219, 235-8, 
239-40 

Rain-makers, 155, see Witch- 
doctors 

Rain-making to order, 166-7, 
210-11 

Ravine, Fort, 60 

Religious observances, 197 - 8, 
255-8, 261-3 

Rial, 42-3, 65 

Rudolph, natives of Lake, 263 



Salisbury, 23 

Salt, native liking for, 129 ; method 

of obtaining, 129-39; substitute 

for, 130 
Selous, F. C, 30 
Shangani Patrol, 27-8 
Shimoni, 36 
Sin-vomiting, 257-8 
Smallpox, outbreak of, 243-5 
Smith, Claude, 289-90 
Smith, Major, 60 
Somali traders, difficulties with, 

239-43 
South Africa, 17 
Spitting, custom of, 263-4 
Standerton, 19-20 
Superstitions of natives, 135-6, 143, 

182, 207-8, 210, 213-14, 245-7, 

262 
Swahili, the, 39-40, 65, 184, 209, 

251 
Sword, method of wearing the, 
90, 127, 237 



Tato, 109, no, 144, 163-77, 216 

Tea, native liking for, 129 

Teck, Prince Alexander of, 28 

Thieves, native method of protec- 
tion from, 246-7 

Thompson, Joseph, 52 

Tobacco-growing, 271 

Trading, difficulties of, 240-3 

Trading stations, 124 

Trading with natives, 87-90, 137, 
142, 146-7, 163-4, 198-9 

Treachery of natives, 90-1, 127 

Turkana country, 106 



Uganda Railway, 36, 38, 41, 54, 71 
Umkanori, 302 



320 



JOHN BOYES 



Umvunga Drift, 30 
Uvvini, 28-9 



Vegetation in Kikuyu country, 

301-2, 308 
Vincent, 278 



Wagombi, 108, 143, 160-1, 178-88 

190-8, 202-4, 215; 231, 235, 294, 

305 

Wakamba, 45, 119-20, 299-300 
Wake, Captain, 294 
Wa- Kikuyu, see Kikuyu 
Walsh, Mr. and Mrs., 1 14-15 



Wanderobo tribe, the, 165, 189-90, 

203-5 
Water, locating of, 72-3 
Wattle, planting of Black, 240-1 
Weapons of the Kikuyu, 269-70 
Wilson, Major, 28 
Witch-doctors, 143-5, i59-6o, see 

Poisons 
Women, protection of, 275-6 
Wunjaggi, 125, 127-8 



YoRKS and Lanes Regiment, 28 



Zanzibar, 32 
Zebra, the, 73 



Hi 



UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON 










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